Captives
by Pink Lady Alex
Summary: Tony Stark was not the only one from his convoy who was captured. Airman Ramirez is also being held hostage by the Ten Rings. Furthermore, Ramirez is a woman. How does her presence change the terms of imprisonment for Stark, Yinsen, and their captors?
1. Captured

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

**_Author's Note:_**I must admit that this is my first public fan fiction, so any help and support is much appreciated. Also appreciated are your questions, comments, and suggestions. I love Tony Stark, so I want to make this story as good as possible and stay true to his character. A note on Airman Ramirez (about whom you will read) she is the woman who was driving the Humvee that Stark was riding in. She doesn't have any official name, so I've named her, but her name won't be revealed until later. The story starts when she is shot, but not killed, as some may believe. I have rated it T for the action violence, but it's nothing gory or graphic so don't worry! Other than that, I think I've said all that I need to say. Hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 1 (Captured)**

The Humvee in front of them never had a chance. The convoy was under attack, completely caught by surprise, and the fight to survive long enough for reinforcements to arrive would be a desperate one. She frantically shouted to Pratt before clicking the safety off of her gun and jumping out of the armored vehicle. Ramirez had barely set foot on the ground before the bullets slammed into her, causing her body to collapse in a heap and leave her gasping for breath. It was all she could do to roll onto her right side, away from the wounds, as she struggled to remain calm and reassess the situation.

Another blast hit nearby, possibly hitting the Humvee. She hoped Pratt, who had been sitting next to her seconds before, had secured his side of the vehicle. The passenger door to her left swung open and Jimmy leapt out, shouting an order through the shut door to the civilian inside, telling him to remain where he was. He turned and instantly a hail of gunfire tore threw Jimmy's body and into the metal plating behind him. Ramirez stared in horror, a part of her not wanting to accept what she had just witnessed. Though she felt able to stand, she didn't dare risk raising herself more than two feet from the ground; the attackers had this area extremely well-covered. Ramirez decided to crawl under the Humvee to the other side; hopefully there would be less gunfire over there. Her left arm, shoulder, and upper chest were bleeding badly – there was probably a slug or some shrapnel in it – but there was little she could do but secure her arm to her chest using some of the straps on her uniform as she lay on the ground. This was when the right passenger door opened and the well-dressed feet of the remaining occupant of the vehicle became visible. He had gotten out and started running. Pratt's boots were no where to be seen from her limited viewpoint, but if anything had happened to him, that man was now her direct responsibility.

Finally all that training on crawling is coming in handy, she thought to herself as she maneuvered her body under the Humvee and out the other side. Pratt's body lay near the front tire – he hadn't gotten far either, before he'd been hit. Protecting the civilian was her main goal. Focused on that, Ramirez hauled herself up on one knee, into a low squat, to scan the area. At that moment, a rocket embedded itself in the ground some thirty feet ahead of her and exploded. She was thrown back against the Humvee from the shockwave, but at the same time came to a sickening realization that the man had been less than ten feet away from it, and it was his body that she had just seen violently propelled backward. The smoke from the explosion provided some much needed cover as she jumped up and ran to where she had seen him. She couldn't even feel the pain in her arm or side from the new surge of adrenaline she had just received.

From the way he was lying on the ground, Ramirez expected the worst. He's dead, she thought, no, wait… he moved his arms and legs slightly. She got down on one knee beside him and grabbed his left wrist for his pulse. There was a large red stain in the middle of his chest, probably shrapnel from the rocket; he had been too close to have avoided serious injury.

"Sir! Mr. Stark! Can you hear me?" Ramirez yelled to make sure he heard her above the artillery noise.

The man moved his mouth to say something and his eyes fluttered briefly. He didn't have long; in fact, it may already be too late. She looked around desperately, but couldn't see where the attackers were hiding. If she got up to run now, she'd be picked off for sure. The rest of the convoy seemed so far off. Right now each soldier was probably fighting for his life against the vicious ambush.

"Stay with me sir, I'm calling reinforcements. Don't move."

Ramirez yanked her short-hand radio off its clip on her belt and thumbed the dial. There was either too much static or yelling on the other end so that no one was receiving her message clearly. Suddenly a cloud of dust engulfed the two figures and they were surrounded by about five or six heavily armed men speaking in a language that she couldn't name. They pointed their weapons both at her and Stark. She wasn't about to back down, but she couldn't risk them killing the other man. The moment she let the barrel of her gun point downward, she was struck sharply across the back of her neck at least a couple of times by someone who had snuck up behind her. She was unconscious by the time she hit the ground.


	2. In Between Consciousness

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note:**_ It's been a while since I first posted this story; sorry for the wait! Thank you so much to all those who read the first installment - I really appreciate it! What you should know about this chapter is that there is some surgery taking place. It isn't anything that the 'T' rating won't cover, but I just wanted to give you a head's up.

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**Chapter 2 – In Between Consciousness**

It was a while until she gradually woke from the unconscious state that she had been put into. Groggy and disoriented, it took several minutes before Ramirez slowly opened her eyes. Wherever she was, it was dark; there were some bright lights to her left, but not much else. She remembered the injury she had sustained to her arm and upper chest the moment she tried to move it, the pain causing her to stifle a groan. Gingerly clutching her arm with the good one, she attempted to sit up but found the effort too much. The back of her head as well as her neck throbbed with pain from when she had been struck. She noticed that she was still fully clothed in her uniform, which put her at ease. It took her another moment to realize that she was by no means alone where she was. There were five people huddled around a brightly lit table, working intently. The rest of the room was dark.

Ramirez tried again to sit upright, but this time was stopped by an angry outburst of some foreign language, which she was able to identify as Urdu. A man with a gun rushed to where she was lying, calling excitedly to the others in the room. Everyone at the table looked up immediately and one man halted his work to check her. He came over and surveyed her briefly but after replying to the guard he returned to what he was doing. In that moment she knew she had been captured.

* * *

The screaming jolted her awake again. Ramirez had slipped back into a deep sleep from exhaustion; it had been the best option at the time, since there was little she could do without energy. She hadn't realized that the men working at the table in the middle of the room were actually performing surgery. Something had obviously gone wrong. A man with a thick beard ran into the room and grimaced at the sight. Shouting to be heard, he ordered all non-essential persons out of the room. The stretcher that Ramirez lay upon was hauled out instantly. She had to clench her teeth to keep from crying out in pain as the stretcher was jostled around. They had to bring her past the table to get to the exit and as they did she strained to see who was being operated upon, but she didn't have to see to know. He lay across the table, his chest stained a startling red with his own blood, as were the hands of his surgeon. Stark's agony reverberated through the room and down the dark corridors through which she was swiftly carried.

Placed in a dark, little room with only the most minimal amount of light coming in from under the door, all she could do was lie there and listen to his screams. It seemed to be endless. She started sobbing uncontrollably. Despite all of her training, nothing had prepared her for this. It wasn't long before she was choking on her tears. Finding a ledge to her right, she hauled herself upright and leaned back against the wall behind her, while continuing to splutter. Eventually she cried herself to sleep, her body collapsed into the corner of the room with her knees drawn up to her chest.

* * *

The third time Ramirez was awakened it was by a clanking door and the babble of foreign voices. Again she was carried through the dark hallways of what she had come to suspect was either a cave or underground or both. When they took her back into the room that the first surgery had been performed in, her mouth went dry and her heart began to increase its pace. Now lying on the table, she was blinded by the lights glaring overhead and had to squint to see the faces of those now crowding around the table. A man with glasses that she had seen earlier operating on Stark, removed her helmet. He peered into her face and stopped short. In fact, everyone at the table stopped talking and peered at her, some even taking a step back. One man ran to the doorway and started hollering, and a moment later the man with the thick beard came into the room and looked at Ramirez. After a couple minutes of excited chatter, everyone left except for the man with the eyeglasses.

"I assume that you speak English," he said plainly.

"Yes, I do." Her voice sounded strange, her throat dry.

"Good. Allow me to explain – I am a doctor, and you are injured." He waved a hand over her left shoulder for emphasis. "No one was aware that you are a woman. Your American military uniform was left on, even your helmet, and no one looked closely at you. Of course you still need an operation, but since you are a woman I can not perform it unless everyone else is gone. You are the only woman here… right now."

She had so many questions. The doctor seemed sympathetic, but she was too unsettled to think clearly. "What happened to Stark?" she asked.

"He is here, and alive I might add. The screaming you heard earlier was from the anesthetic wearing off. There are few supplies of that kind in this place, but I have some left for you. Now, if I may…" his voice trailed off as he reached for her vest, but she held out her hand to stop him.

"What makes you think that I'll let you operate on me?"

"Two reasons: one, it is necessary if you wish to heal; and two, because I was captured for that purpose."


	3. The Chamber

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel__ Comics_ or _Iron__ Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's**__** Note:**_ This chapter's been a long time in coming! I must apologize again to all those who have been eagerly awaiting its arrival. Thanks for reading by the way! I've decided to let this things format itself (or however that works) because I'm wondering if it makes for easier reading. Let me know if this formatting is better than the previous two chapters. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 3 - The Chamber**

"How are you feeling?"

"Alright… I guess."

"Are you in much pain?"

Ramirez groaned softly in reply. The doctor had given her sedatives and local anesthetics prior to surgery and she was still groggy after the operation, even though she had slept for a few hours. She had no idea how long the entire process had taken; it was impossible even to discern if it was day or night.

"On a scale of one to ten – one being the least amount of pain and ten being the most – how would you rate the pain you are experiencing?"

She took a moment to consider, "Between a six and seven, I think."

"Fair enough. I'm sorry that I cannot give you any more pain medication for a while. It depends how Stark is doing… his condition is very serious."

"He's ok though, right?" She suddenly remembered the screams he let out during his own operation.

"Yes, at the present he is doing well. Although…" the doctor's voice trailed off and he looked away.

Ramirez glanced around quickly from where she was lying to make sure there was no one else in earshot. They were in the small room that she had been placed in before, but this time there was a light suspended on the wall nearby. The doctor sat on a chair next to the low table that her stretcher lay on. The door of the room was closed, so the guards were probably on the other side. It wasn't like there was any way that either of them could get out.

"They have taken Stark for a video recording."

"What do you mean?" she asked and started to sit up.

"Please! Try not to move; I will help you." He reached across and put an arm around her right shoulder. She clutched his shoulder as he gently pulled her into a sitting position. "The video recording for the ransom message, I suppose. I was assured that he would be seated and that they would be careful with him. He is still in a critical condition and I have given him much medication."

She wondered if they would mention her presence in the recording. "Who are 'they'?"

"A valid question, but I will tell you later. You will be staying in my quarters and I must walk you there. I will put this on your head now." He picked up a shawl that he had laid next to her.

Ramirez wore only a blanket over the top half of her body. Prior to surgery the doctor had helped her remove her uniform – except the pants and boots – and had told her not to expect to get it back. Her undershirts had been blood-soaked; those had been thrown away. She was still wearing her sports bra, but the doctor had to cut the left strap to be able to access the injury. He now draped the shawl over her head and shoulders so that it covered all but her face. It was the tradition of the land, but since she was always in uniform, even when off the base, she hadn't had to worry about it before.

"Are you ready?" he asked after a moment.

"Uh huh," she murmured. Clutching onto the blanket, she stood cautiously and followed the doctor to the door. He rapped twice on the metal door and instantly a bolt slid back. The door opened outward and the guard on the other side looked them over before motioning to another man nearby. Both of them escorted the prisoners down the dark tunnels lit every few feet by lighting mounted on the side of the wall.

Soon they reached another metal door at the end of a hallway and they stopped briefly so that it could be opened by the other guard waiting there. It wasn't until the doctor and Ramirez were inside and the door was secured that she felt the tension ease. The room was very large when compared with the others that she had been in. The high ceiling was illuminated by the dim candlelight and other sparse lighting that had been rigged up. Various pieces of equipment was scattered about the area, on the floor, a broad table, and on a couple shelves.

"This is where you will sleep," the doctor announced as he led her towards a cot which was a little farther from everything else in the room. "I still have to put up a curtain for you, which I will do momentarily." He continued speaking as he searched for the needed materials to make a partition. "You will be pleased to know that many of the rooms are fully ventilated and have the required plumbing installed, as well as electrical wiring. The washroom is over that way, around that bend there, which is also where the wash basin is – that is for both bathing and laundry."

Ramirez looked around silently, taking it all in. The set-up wasn't nearly as primitive as she had previously thought. This cave system was constructed with the idea of long-term living in mind. Even so, it was by no means a comfortable hotel getaway. She sat down on the bed, still feeling drowsy from the sedatives that she had been given earlier.

"What happened during the surgery?" she asked after a little while.

"I wondered when you would ask. You are fortunate to have such good quality uniforms in the military. A bullet went through your left forearm and embedded into your vest. The other bullet went into your shoulder area; that, I had to remove. Both procedures went well, so I expect you to fully recover, though it will take time and careful rehabilitation. You are also very fortunate that both bullets did not enter your chest and damage your heart."

"In America we say that one is 'lucky to be alive' when they survive against the odds."

"You are not the lucky one," the doctor said ominously.

Ramirez stared at him, wishing that she could order him to give her a straight answer. What could have Stark possibly gone through to make him say something like that, she wondered. He finished his search and came back to where she was sitting with a hammer and a large hook. The doctor stood on an empty crate to fix the hook into the cave ceiling, then attached the large curtain, which turned out to be a desert camouflage-patterned tarp. He pulled back a corner and looked in at her when he was finished.

"There, this will give you the necessary privacy…" he paused in mid-sentence. "Stay here and say nothing. If they look at you, do not make eye contact." As he pulled the corner flap back down, Ramirez could hear the bolts of the door sliding back again. Someone was coming in.


	4. Batteries, Painkillers, Sedatives

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_I'd like to start off by thanking everyone who has been reading this, especially those who've added the story to their alerts! You're all awesome. I'm guessing that years of watching M*A*S*H have come in handy for writing this chapter since there's a fair bit of medical terms and whatnot used. When I wrote this and the previous chapter I was listening to the Iron Man soundtrack which is amazing and gave lots of inspiration! We finally get to see a bit of Tony Stark in this (finally!) but not to give anything away... Hope you enjoy this chapter! Your reviews are much appreciated!

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**Chapter 4 (Batteries, Painkillers, Sedatives)**

There was suddenly a commotion on the other side of the curtain. Ramirez could pick up some of the Urdu, and she was fairly sure that the tone wasn't of anger. Leaning over, she moved the certain slightly to peek through. The doctor was talking with one man while two others stood off to the side. Someone sat in a chair between them, but she wasn't able to see who it was from her position. After several minutes of intense conversation the three guards left. Immediately the doctor began attending to the person left in the chair.

"Can I come out?" she asked, thinking that she probably sounded like a child asking to leave a time-out.

"Yes, yes – come over here I may need your help," the doctor responded quickly.

She did so and found him leading the person over to a cot. Ramirez knew that it was Stark before she even saw his face, and for some reason, she didn't want to.

"I need this propped up for him, there are materials over there," he motioned. There were rough-looking pillows in a corner which she grabbed and arranged on the cot where his head would lay. With great care, the doctor helped Stark to sit and lie down. It was only then did she notice a box that the doctor had been carrying that he placed on an empty crate beside his patient's bed.

"What is that?"

He looked at her strangely. "I'll tell you later, you need to go rest."

There were wires that ran from the box and into the layers of bandages that were wrapped around Stark's chest, revealed by the open shirt that was draped loosely around his shoulders. She looked more closely at the box. "Is that a car battery?"

The doctor ignored her question and put a blanket over the man, who seemed to be in a daze. "You need your rest, I'll tell you about it later."

"He's plugged into a car battery?" she screamed. She couldn't breath, she gasped for air that seemed nonexistent. She was gagging. Ramirez didn't remember retching into a bucket while the doctor held her steady, or the uncontrollable sobbing, or the shaking of her sedated body.

After what seemed like an eternity she finally felt alive again; it had been nearly three days and two nights. Ramirez sat in front of the fire in the middle of the room, sipping the strong tea that the doctor had made for the two of them. She knew that she had lost a lot of weight in the past few days. The doctor also looked haggard – the toll of caring for two patients was evident. He sat across from her, staring into the fire.

"What's your name, doctor?" she asked, realizing that he had never told her.

The question seemed to surprise him. "Yinsen. Wellington Yinsen," he replied.

"I can finally call you something besides 'doctor' now," she smiled weakly. Ramirez took a sip of her tea before continuing, "Could you tell me about Stark's condition?"

"Are you sure you're ready to hear it?" There was a wry look on his face when he said it. "Stark's chest has been severely embedded with shrapnel to the point that his heart is in danger. I have placed an electromagnetic device in his chest in an effort to keep the metal from reaching his heart and killing him."

"So, he must keep that battery with him?"

"Yes, that's what is powering the electromagnet. It's extremely crude, but it's the best I can do in this situation. You must know – this will either work or it won't. I have not had much success with this type of injury."

"You mean that there are other people out there attached to car batteries?"

"No, not anymore…" he replied quietly. There was a moment of silence while both of them thought about the grave outlook, the snaps and hissing of the fire supplying the only sounds. "What kind of medical training do you have?" he suddenly asked her.

"Not a whole lot, just the basics. I'm not an army medic."

"Hmm… well, you will receive your training now. Stark needs a nurse, since his doctor must also remain healthy."

She knew what he meant; there was no way that Yinsen could tend to both of them around the clock without his own health deteriorating.

From then on, Ramirez took her assignment of taking care of Stark as seriously as she would have any military duty. Yinsen showed her how to take his pulse, check his breathing, and monitor his blood pressure and temperature which had to be performed every few hours. There was a constant stream of medications in various forms that also had to be administered, but the doctor saw to that. They were mostly anti-inflammatory, painkillers, and others to prevent infection; all of which were necessary, but made Stark drift in and out of consciousness. She couldn't guess at his mental state, but physically and emotionally he was a wreck, which became even more apparent when she was suddenly awakened from a peaceful rest to urgent cries for help. Moving as quickly as her injured arm would allow her, Ramirez ran out from her curtained area to find Yinsen struggling to keep Stark's thrashing to a minimum while yelling for a nearby shot of sedatives.

Those episodes scared her. She didn't know how to ease his pain. She had always been uncomfortable around those who were sick and hated hospitals. Yinsen told her just to sit with him, even when he was sleeping. Ramirez would watch the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest when he was, until she would fall asleep in her chair next to him. When he was awake she would always feel anxious, especially that he would start to ask questions. He was usually so groggy that it seemed like an effort for him to keep his eyes open. She would try to feed him soup, but he couldn't handle too much. Stark asked for Pepper often, whom Ramirez knew to be his personal assistant. Sometimes after his fits – when he fought to escape this world he'd been plunged into – he would ask for his mom or dad. Holding his good hand, the one without the IV tubes, or stroking his forehead that would be damp with perspiration seemed to calm him. When she thought he was asleep, she'd get up to leave, but with closed eyes and mumbled words he'd tell her to stay.

A week passed like this, though without the sunlight of the day it seemed longer, and she could barely keep track of time. Yinsen's watch was the only thing governing her hours now. Their quiet existence was routinely interrupted by the daily visits made by their captors. Abu Bakaar, the second in command, came each time. He seemed to inwardly shudder at the sight of the IV hooked up to Stark, and didn't like the reports he got on the patient's condition. Yinsen would always translate the meetings to her afterwards, since they spoke in one of the many foreign languages of the country, and Bakaar didn't speak English. Everyone was waiting, waiting to see if he would improve. Their captors were anxious to see him well – they wanted him alive for something.


	5. Shrapnel Heart

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_Thank you for the reviews my faithful readers! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter (I haven't stopped writing/revising this for several days). This is a big one! Lots happening! And Ramirez's first name is _finally_ revealed!!! I'm very excited (needless to say), so before I start telling you, please read! Don't forget to send a review – I'd love to hear from you!

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**Chapter 5**

The next six days were spent caring for Stark. Nearly every waking hour for Ramirez was spent at his side. Yinsen said little on his condition, but continued to encourage her efforts. Still, she felt this lurking dread inside, sliding down her spine. What would happen if he didn't get better? It was likely that the only reason she was there was to perform duties as a nurse. Yinsen had already been there, so he would probably remain even if she and Stark were gone. Right now, more than anything, she wanted Stark to heal. She didn't want to look into his eyes that were glazed from the pain and the painkillers.

***

Yinsen pulled back the curtain and walked inside the private area Ramirez had set up for herself. She was sleeping, though she never slept too soundly.

"Ramirez," he said in a half-whisper.

She woke with a start, brown eyes wide open.

"I'm sorry," he murmured after her reaction, "It's eight o'clock." Yinsen slipped out again, leaving her to fully awaken.

Though it was virtually impossible to tell whether it was day or night, the doctor insisted on keeping regular hours. He had explained how oversleeping would only increase a person's disorientation, and set his pocket-watch to chime under his pillow in the mornings.

"I'd like to wash up today," she said loud enough for him to hear it.

"Alright."

Since she only had one good arm at the moment, it made bathing difficult. Yinsen helped by filling the wash basin with water, as well as washing her hair and back. Ramirez got up and did some of her routine stretches – or at least what she could do of them – and began rummaging around for something clean to put on. Washing their clothing was another thing she was learning to do with one arm, but at the present, none of the three persons in the room had much to wear. She heard the sound of something falling over and spilling as well as some coughing.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the doctor's voice suddenly cautioned.

Ramirez stopped, confused at the remark. "Do what?" When there was no reply to her question, she pulled back the curtain and took a half-step out to better communicate with him. That was when she saw Stark rapidly crawling off the bandages that had been carefully wrapped around his chest. She stood there cringing, unable to stop him from making that dreadful discovery.

He ripped off the final layer of white gauze and let out a muffled cry of anguish as he stared down at the hardware embedded into his chest. Stark's eyes followed the wires that connected the device to the car battery and widened with fear. His head dropped back down onto his striped pillow and he gasped air into his lungs in ragged breaths.

The doctor was still shaving; usually he was very concerned about any change in the patient's condition. She felt sick, not sure whether to be angry or not for letting Stark find out this way. Ramirez stepped back inside her enclosure, letting tears silently fall.

"Hey… anyone there?" Stark called out some time later.

"Yes, I'm here," Yinsen replied. At the exchange, Ramirez looked out to see what was going on.

"Where am I?"

"You are in a detainment cell of sorts."

"'Detainment'? Who are you?"

"I am your doctor." The answer silenced the injured man. "Here's a shirt you can wear, but you'll wish to keep the coat on as well. Feel free to sit up if you wish," Yinsen told him.

He did so, though with much effort. He looked to be in pain, Ramirez thought to herself. All those days of being horizontal couldn't have helped either. Stiffly he put on the proffered shirt. Yinsen passed him the mirror as he walked over to the fire with the frying pan.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Stark murmured bitterly after studying the reflection of the device in his chest.

"Did I? What I did was to save your life. I removed all the shrapnel I could; there's a lot left, and it's heading into your heart. I've seen a lot of wounds like this; it usually takes about a week for the fragments to reach the vital organs."

"What is this?"

"That is an electromagnet. It's keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart." Yinsen looked up when Ramirez emerged from behind the curtain. "Ah, good morning. I was beginning to wonder if you'd gone back to sleep. Come and sit; I'm preparing some food."

She sat on a low wooden stool half-way between each of the men. Stark was staring at her – probably surprised to see another person in this cave – but she found it difficult to meet his gaze.

"Who are you?" he asked after a while.

It was unlikely that he would have remembered her from before, so she didn't go into detail. "I'm your nurse."

"My nurse?" he skeptically eyed the sling supporting her arm. "Aren't you supposed to be in better shape than the patient?"

"I was shot, sir."

"And you're still working?"

"There's only one doctor and he needed help."

"Yes, caring for you is a full time job," Yinsen told him. "There is much to do, especially for someone with no medical background."

He looked confused. "How did you get here then?" he asked the woman.

"I was the driver of the Humvee we were in when the convoy was attacked."

Before he could make a reply, there was a commotion outside the cell doors. Ramirez scrambled to get inside her curtained section to throw the shawl over her head while Yinsen and Stark stood with their hands on their heads. Abu Bakaar strode in with quite a few armed men and started addressing his captives. From what she could understand – when Yinsen translated to Stark – Bakaar wanted him to build a missile for them, most likely the Jericho missile. She recalled the weapon Stark had showcased; it was highly destructive. The moment his negative response was translated, Bakaar's men grabbed Stark, dragging him out of the cell along with Yinsen.

***

After what seemed like an eternity later the doors were unbolted and the two men were thrust back inside. Ramirez checked to make sure that they were alone before coming out of her shelter.

"Are you alright?" Yinsen looked grim and Stark's clothing was soaked. "How did you get…" the question died on her lips when she realized what had probably happened to him.

Yinsen seemed to read her thoughts. "They nearly drown him in a tank of water. I need to examine that electromagnet, make sure it is still working." The doctor led him back to his cot and had him sit down, then pulled a chair over for himself. "It appears to be working, thank goodness. How do you feel?"

"It hurts to breathe," he muttered. It was obvious that he was in a lot of pain.

"I'm going to get a shot for you, and some dry clothing. Please disinfect the area; I must put on new bandages," he instructed Ramirez.

Picking up the bottle of antiseptic and cotton pads that sat on the table near his cot, she took the seat across from him and struggled to get the top open. Stark must have noticed her trembling hands because he took the bottle and performed the task, handing her back the dampened material.

"Thanks," she said, and leaned over to carefully dab the area around the device in his chest. She could feel him looking down into her face as she worked. She was used to seeing bare-chested men in the military, but there were never situations like this. To her chagrin, Ramirez could felt a rush of heat flow into her cheeks and was mortified at the fact that she was blushing deeply with no way to hide it. She never blushed!

"I'm sorry." She quickly stopped and leaned back, averting her eyes to avoid his own.

"Don't be."

"To be honest sir, this was easier when you were asleep."

He smiled a bit. "Why are you calling me 'sir'? I'm not a general. My name is Tony. Call me Stark if you must, but not sir. I don't remember your name."

"Julia C. Ramirez, Airman First Class."

"You being an airman I remember," he said, alluding to their conversation in the Humvee. She was surprised he remembered. "'Julia' – that's nice. Well, don't let me stop you."

She finished with the antiseptic and moved over to let Yinsen wrap the fresh bandages around him. He refused the drugs, but got dressed and remained sitting, silent and grave.

Yinsen also took a seat close beside them. "We need to discuss this, right now," he announced. "The Ten Rings have a mountain of Stark Industries weaponry out there. What you just saw, that is your legacy, Stark. Your life's work, in the hands of those murderers! Your people are looking for you, but they'll never find you out here. Are you going to do something about it?"

Tony stared straight ahead. "We can't do anything. They going to kill me, you, her… either way and if they don't I'll probably be dead in a week."

"Then," the doctor replied, "this is a very important week for you."


	6. Soft Blue Glow

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note:**_ Wow – sixth chapter! It seems like a lot I guess. Thanks for the reviews! This chapter isn't as action-packed as some of the others, but there's a lot of nice interaction between Ramirez and Stark. Give me you take on it – I always appreciate the feedback!

**Chapter 6**

Later that day Bakaar had some preliminary materials sent into the cave for the construction of the Jericho missile. Stark spent the rest of it feverishly drawing plans and making lists. By the next day, he had a large order of all the equipment that he would need. The day afterwards, their cave became a hive of activity. Everything from lights and tools, to tables and various boxes of Stark Industries equipment were hauled in by a couple dozen men. Not wanting to get in the way, Ramirez stayed in the back where the wash basin was located and listened to the traffic from there.

***

"Ah, here you are," Yinsen exclaimed upon finding her a few hours later. The relief in his voice was apparent, though he had probably tried to avoid getting overly concerned. "We were beginning to wonder if you had been carried off in the shuffle."

Ramirez stood stiffly. "No, I managed to avoid that." Walking around the divider, she was surprised by the change that had taken place. Suddenly there was enough light to illuminate even some of the darker corners. Where the bare rock had once been there were crates of supplies. There were even entire shelving units that had been erected.

Perched on a chair, Stark eagerly dug through one of the open crates until he pulled out a solid-looking wrench and held it up to inspect it. "We've got the basics," he announced. "Not much, but it's decent stuff. It's going to require some brute strength," Stark said, giving Julia a wry look.

"As your doctor, I must caution you not to exert yourself too much yet. Allow me to help you," Yinsen advised.

"Yes, doc. This isn't going to be surgery though." He got up and looked around the space until he found a certain box. "Julia, I got some things for you too."

She walked over to where he was standing and peered into the container. "You got clothing?" she was surprised that he had managed to get so much.

"I hope it's ok. I tried to get stuff for you and me. Yinsen seems to have everything he needs."

A look at the tags told her that most of it would probably fit her, the shirts, pants, even the… "Interesting that you were able to order underclothes in my size," her tone was hinted with sarcasm as she held up a bra to illustrate her point.

"Well, I have seen some lingerie in my time…" his sly expression told all. "But, honestly – I had Yinsen check your clothes for measurements while you were in the bath."

"It's true," the doctor called out, "I would have mentioned something, but Stark has a fondness for the dramatic I think."

Julia chuckled. "Thanks a lot – I really do appreciate it."

He seemed truly pleased at her gratitude; it was the happiest she'd seen him yet. Perhaps he wasn't accustomed to giving meaningful gifts, since that wholesome feeling seemed almost foreign to him.

***

Once he got started, Stark worked tirelessly. His energy was so completely focused on the task at hand that Yinsen had to remind him to eat from time to time. The part that he was currently constructing looked incredibly detailed, but Stark seemed to be able to build it from the pieces he had around. Even so, the work was difficult in his physically weakened state, and he would become dizzy and short of breath. Julia was left feeling useless and resigned herself to cooking and cleaning. She wished that she was able to do more – Yinsen did everything that the car battery restricted Stark from doing – but even then, Tony insisted on doing much of it himself.

"I must give you credit, Stark," Yinsen said one night when they were sitting around the fire drinking tea. "You really can apply yourself. Sometimes one forgets what a genius you are when there are so many reports of your other exploits."

"Yeah…" He wasn't offended, as Julia had expected him to be. "I get distracted a lot, but I guess you know that."

"Maybe you need an office without windows."

"I've got enough offices. I do my best work in actual workshops. It's easy to approve plans for something, but actually getting down and making something with your own hands is a completely different thing."

Yinsen glanced at his watch. "Well, it's nearly ten. I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late." He retired to his corner of the room, leaving his patients by the warmth of the fire.

"He runs a tight ship," Tony whispered.

"He does," Julia replied. "It's like being a private again, except he's much quieter than a drill sergeant. But he's right though, keeping a schedule does help us from getting too out of it."

"I'm having trouble getting into it I think. I don't do the schedule thing, that's why I've got Pepper." A silence passed as soon as he mentioned the name of his personal assistant.

"Did she come with you to Afghanistan?"

"No, it was only supposed to be a short trip. She only comes along on the long ones. Thank goodness…" he muttered as an afterthought.

It was obvious that the conversation was depressing him, but he broke the mood before she could say anything.

"How long have you been stationed here?" Tony asked.

"About eight months."

"Do you get homesick anymore?"

"Only when I think about it. The army keeps us pretty busy, so alone-time is scarce. Probably a good thing though."

"Are there many women at your base?" He dismissed her skeptical look. "No, I mean serving there."

"Well, enough to keep from feeling outnumbered. It's never exactly been a choice of profession for women, but I'm not intimidated."

"I noticed. You command a pretty high level of respect – I respect that. I don't know many people, men or women, who do that – myself included. Respecting a person's accomplishments is different than respecting a person."

Julia was surprised by this sudden confession by a man who appeared so self-confident and self-assured. Reality seemed to be hitting hard. She was glad that she had previous experience in giving pep talks to her team, because it was obvious that his spirit needed rallying. "Well," she started, "to admit something like that requires a lot of confidence in who you are; not ignoring your faults, but acknowledging them. I have to say, that is something I respect."

He looked thoughtful. "Well said." Tony held up his cup of tea to her as she stood. "Good night, Julia."

***

"Hmm, this looks to be healing nicely," Yinsen announced. He was inspecting her forearm where the bullet had passed through. "I must say, the fact that your bones here are intact has made recovery much easier. Overall, I think that this is looking good."

Julia stared at her arm. Initially, it had bothered her, but now she only felt a slight shiver at the sight of the open wound. Most of all, she was glad that it was healing well and without infection.

Over at his work table, Tony had been labouring over some designs, but when the doctor started examining her, he wandered over with the battery tucked under one arm. "Is that it?" he asked upon seeing the injury. "Does it hurt much?"

"Yes, when I move it."

"It will take time for the muscle to heal itself. We will need to do physiotherapy as well though," Yinsen explained. "I'm going to look at your shoulder now; may I remove your shirt?"

"Go ahead." She glanced at Tony, but he'd already turned around to give her some privacy. "Ok, you can look," Julia said after a moment. She'd placed the shirt over herself so that it covered her body. Yinsen started taking off the old dressings and bandages until her left shoulder was finally bare. Though the entry point had been neatly stitched up, the damage was evident.

"Wow," Tony breathed.

"Yes, bullets are very destructive. Had it been a higher caliber Ramirez could have lost her arm. Fortunately, this was a clean shot and I expect her to heal quite well." The doctor never minced words, and his matter-of-fact manner was enough to make even Stark grimace.

"Why haven't I seen this before?"

"He usually does this in off hours when you're busy," Julia told him.

"You can help with the bandages if you wish," Yinsen offered. "I'll go get some more."

"Could you pass me that mirror over there?" she asked, pointing in the specified direction with her good arm.

Stark brought it over and sat next to her as she checked out the wound for herself. Yinsen had set up a medical corner with bright lights and an extra cot that had been set at a forty-five degree angle for better examinations. He returned with more supplies and instructed Stark on how to cleanse the area and apply the primary bandages. After rubbing some alcohol on his hands to clean them he dampened he cotton as he had done earlier for Julia.

"Tell me if I press too hard, ok?" He set the battery beside her and started dabbing her forearm. "You ever been shot before?"

Her voice had a defiant edge when she replied, "No, this is the first and last time." Julia watched him bandage both sides of her arm, and then prepare to do her shoulder. It was already cool in the cave, but when he put the damp cotton pad to her skin she couldn't help but tremble a little.

He stopped, looking apprehensive. "Did that hurt?"

"No, it's just cold in here. You're doing fine – you've got a light touch."

"Probably from working on delicate equipment," he murmured. Tony ran his fingertips over the area where the stitches were. "You're going to have scars."

"It doesn't bother me," she replied. Their eyes locked in an intense gaze – though at such a close proximity it was inevitable – before Yinsen returned to finish the bandaging.

***

There was so little to do in the cave that even the most mundane things took on an entirely new importance. Within a short period of time however, Stark completed this mysterious part which had been consuming all of his energy. When the lights flickered violently one evening, Ramirez was instantly on alert.

"What was that?" she asked, inwardly trying to quell the rush of anxiety.

Stark didn't reply and Yinsen cautiously moved over to the work bench. She also went and stood on the other side of Stark, and the three of them stared at the circular device which now radiated a soft blue glow.

"Whoa," Yinsen breathed in amazement, "that doesn't look like a Jericho missile."

"That's because it's a miniaturized arc reactor," Tony said matter-of-factly. "I've got a big one powering my factory at home. This should keep the shrapnel out of my heart."

"But what could it generate?"

"If my math is right, and it always is, three gigajoules per second."

The doctor could hardly contain his astonishment; "That could run your heart for fifty lifetimes!"

"Or something big for fifteen minutes," Tony added.

Julia glanced at him and noticed the intent expression upon his face. It was impossible to guess at what he may have been implying, and he gave no further hints.

"As soon as you're ready I will hook it up for you," Yinsen said softly.

"So you'll have that instead of the battery?" she asked. "I'm not sure I understand how this arc reactor works."

"Instead of all of this." Stark briefly passed a hand over the battery and the wires. "It'll go right here." He pointed to the electromagnet in the middle of his chest.

Julia shuddered involuntarily at the thought of implanting the hardware directly into his body.

"We'll do it tomorrow," he murmured, and a look of quiet determination passed between Stark and Yinsen.


	7. Waiting for a Ray of Light

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_This was a tough chapter to write. Things have taken a shift in the cave, so the following chapters should be quite interesting. I'd love to hear your opinion! Thanks to the readers and reviewers!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

~ 1 month later – time in cave: 6 weeks (1 ½ months) ~

It was dark when Julia opened her eyes – it always was. She missed the sun and continuously thought about the daylight outside, but it was in the morning that she missed it the most. Instead of the dawn light filtering into her room, Julia woke up each morning to the darkness of the cave lit only by the dim lighting the men left on while they slept. She tried to turn over and go back to sleep but couldn't. It was really starting to have an impact – being underground – and she was having more and more trouble keeping track of time. It could be two in the morning or eight in the morning; without looking at the clock she had no idea.

Deciding that it was useless lying there, Julia got out of bed and silently stepped out of her "tent" as the three of them had taken to calling the curtains which surrounded her cot. The cool air made it difficult to warm up and she shivered slightly. Yinsen kept his pocket-watch on the small table beside his cot for easy reference – keeping it under his pillow had become impractical. She crept over to glance at it while taking every precaution so as not to wake him. It read four o'clock, meaning that it was still four hours before it would chime and officially wake everyone.

The embers of the fire were still glowing a bit, so she took the opportunity to warm at least her feet – walking across the cold stone floor in socks was enough to give her a chill. Tony stirred in his bed, but didn't wake up. He was turned toward her with the blanket pulled down far enough so that she could see the faint blue light of the arc reactor glowing beneath his shirt. Julia recalled the day that Yinsen had installed the device into the housing which already existed in Stark's chest. They had all been nervous, but didn't say much until it was done. The main thing was that it worked, and it worked far better than either she or the doctor had anticipated. Tony said that it felt strange at first, but he seemed to get used to it over time… Perhaps it was the mesmerizing glow of the fire, but she felt tired once again and crawled back into bed.

***

Yinsen had managed to secure an exercise bike for them a couple of weeks ago, though it could barely be called that. It was a stripped-down bicycle lacking its front and back wheels. Tony had been able to set up a system that would allow the rider to adjust the resistance when pedaling. The bike provided much-needed exercise for them all since there were few ways for them to keep up their strength. The doctor had reasoned with Bakaar that Stark would not be able to build the missile if he were not strong enough, and Bakaar relented. It was true at any rate, because as soon as Stark began working-out on the bike he started to feel better and heal faster.

"How much longer?" Tony asked from where he sat pedaling.

Yinsen gave an unconcerned glance at his watch. "About seven more minutes. You're doing well keep it up."

"Yeah…" he puffed, "I can't even remember the last time that I was this out of shape."

"Well, you've been through a lot. The body has a remarkable way of healing itself, but you don't want to overdo it trying to rebuild that loss muscle mass. Those weights are doing you good as well."

Tony had also gotten some various unused materials that were heavy enough to be weights. Julia would be using them as soon as her arm was out of the sling. Her forearm was doing well, but her shoulder had taken much longer, and she was not able to use it yet.

"Hey, could you get me some more water please?" Tony called over to her.

Julia was working with Yinsen, taking apart some of the weaponry in the crates. When they had first seen the plans for what Tony was building they were amazed. Their "ticket out of here", as he had called it, was a giant suit made of metal loaded with its own defensive arsenal. There were other features that he has still working on, but hadn't revealed them yet. Thus, as they constructed the suit, they also needed to come up with a solid plan to get out. They would only get one shot at this.

Near the cooking area there was a container that they kept drinking water; she refilled his cup from and brought to him. Four times a week both he and Julia had to pedal for twenty grueling minutes in order to get their heart rates up and the blood pumping. He was breathing heavily, his bare arms gleaming with sweat.

"Here you go. Don't gulp it all down at once," she said, handing the cup to him. "Do you want me to check the bath water?"

"That'd be great, thanks."

Yinsen took another look at his watch. "All right, you can get off and walk around now."

Tony grabbed a small towel and dried off his face before slinging it about his neck. "How's the dismantling coming?" he asked.

"Quite well, I must say," the doctor responded. "How's the electromagnet?"

"It's alright; it feels uncomfortable, like a pressure or something."

"That's to be expected I guess... Don't forget to stretch."

Julia was back in the wash area making sure that everything was in place for Tony. She felt strange doing tasks like this – it felt so domestic, like something a housewife would be doing. Even so, she hated sitting idle, so preparing Tony's bath at least gave her something to do.

Getting the water to a comfortable temperature involved filling it one-third with cold water straight from the tap, then heating the other two-thirds over the fire until it was near boiling. By the time the whole process was finished, the water was nicely warm enough for bathing. She ran her hand through it just to make sure.

"How's the water?"

The voice interrupted her thoughts. Julia looked up to see Tony in mid-lunge stretching his left leg. "It's still quite hot actually. All of this trial and error work is finally paying off."

"It's definitely given me a whole new respect for bathing," he replied. He approached and dipped his fingers into the water as well.

Suddenly his proximity seemed a little overwhelming. "I should go finish up what I was working on," she said, taking a step around him and returning to the workbench where Yinsen was. It was strange that she felt so affected by the sweat dripping off Tony's body when she had seen so much of that back at the base, since the men were continuously exercising. Julia focused her concentration on her work and tried to ignore the churning anxiety inside.

***

"Well, I think you've had this on long enough," Yinsen announced as he removed the sling. Julia carefully stretched her arm out in front of her. "Lift your arm and rotate it. Stop when it hurts or when it's very tight."

She did as she was instructed and did indeed realize that both lifting her arm directly above her head as well as putting it behind herself was too difficult. All those weeks of not being able to move her shoulder had taken their toll.

"You have a lot for rehabilitation to do, and it will be difficult," the doctor warned her. "I think that four main sessions a week and other daily exercises will get you fully functioning again."

"So I can use my arm?" she asked.

"Yes, do. But be careful not to strain it by doing too much at once."

Tony was working over at one of the tables; he had been there even before she had woken up that morning. Julia went over and sat across from him, not wanting to disturb him. After he finished wiring a couple pieces together he looked up at her.

"Hey! You're not wearing the sling. Has the wing healed?"

"Yeah I guess so…" She rubbed her arm. "It's a little sore, but he says I don't need the sling anymore."

"Well I'm glad to see you back in action," he replied with a smile.

Julia started to smile as well, but her expression abruptly turned to one of alarm.

Tony noticed the sudden change. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Her breathing laboured a bit. "I feel like I can't breathe… my throat feels tight all of a sudden, and it hurts, right here." She put a tightly closed hand on the middle of her chest.

"Are you having a reaction to something?" he asked worriedly.

"I don't think so. Yinsen didn't give me any painkillers or anything."  
Tony quickly looked around to find the doctor. "Hey! Yinsen!" he called out.

He emerged from behind a shelf. "Yes?"

"Julia's having some trouble here."

Yinsen came over immediately, grabbing a nearby stethoscope on the way. He put the instrument to her chest and listened intently. "What were you doing when you began to feel this way?"

"Just sitting here, talking," she answered.

The doctor sat back and thought for a moment. "I'm going to give you some mild sedatives and I would like for you to lie down for a while."

Julia complied, went to the tent, and tried to make herself comfortable.

"Is she going to be okay?" Tony asked after she had left.

"At the present, yes – but I will have to keep an eye on her. I'll come and give you a hand after I get her settled."

"Actually, I'm going to take a break – I'll make some food. Are you hungry?"

"Yes. Thank you, Stark."

***

She was tangled up in her blanket, struggling with an enemy only she could see, before her own thrashing woke her up. Julia sat bolt upright on her cot, pulse pounding like she'd just been sprinting. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the backs of her clammy hands. That dream had been so realistic, so terrible… she checked out the curtain just to reassure herself of her surroundings. A cup of water sat on a rock ledge beside her bed and she took a long drink of its cool contents.

Scared that the nightmare would continue once she went back to sleep, she sat there in the dark trying to imagine herself somewhere else, somewhere peaceful. Maybe on the beach at dusk after the crowds left, or cruising along an open road in her car, or standing in the desert looking at the stars… anywhere but this hole in the rock.


	8. Tears and Darkness

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_Ok, I know what you're thinking… yes it has been literally months since I posted the 7th chapter. I'm very sorry to everyone who has been waiting patiently to read this; thanks a lot readers. I had a lot of stuff going on and kinda lost inspiration along the way, but I finally managed to psych myself up and write this chapter. I really hope you like it – let me know!

**Chapter 8**

During the next week, Julia's emotional condition continued to deteriorate. Her sleeping and eating patterns seemed disrupted, and she was having ongoing mood swings and overwhelming feelings of anxiety. The only times that she felt even remotely normal was when she was eating with the men. Was she losing it? She was so afraid that life as a prisoner of war was getting to her, that she didn't even want to discuss it, but she knew that the other two were thinking the same thing already.

One afternoon while she was sobbing in her tent, Tony and Yinsen sat at the workbench talking about the situation as quietly as possible.

"This is crazy – I can't work on this while she's crying like that. We've got to do something," Stark insisted.

"What can we do? Physically, she's fine, and I'm a doctor of the physical."

"But you've got to know something about the mental and emotional well-being of your patients. I mean, she's having a breakdown or something. I don't know the first thing about caring for anybody – I've never had to. Learning about this thing has been a learning curve for me," he said, indicating the arc reactor.

"I don't believe that she is having a type of breakdown – I think that it may be the trauma of this entire experience, but I'm not certain."

"Trauma? You mean I'll go through that too?"

"Stark, please, I cannot be sure of anything and I cannot diagnose this without the proper information. Ramirez is a woman and will cope with things in a different manner than you will. I will have to think about this."

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked, a measure a fear in his voice.

"You are much more intimate with her, so –"

Tony cut him off, "Please don't say intimate."

"Alright, you know her better than I, so I would suggest that simply being a friend would be the best thing you could do."

He looked uncertain. "So, I should go in there?"

"Now? Goodness no! She needs to have her time alone. I learned that from my wife. I would have thought that you knew more about women, Stark." Yinsen raised a quizzical eyebrow.

Tony shrugged. "I guess not – at least not when it comes to this kind of thing." There was a moment of quiet before he continued, "Is she going to be ok?"

"I would like to hope so."

A dark mood hung over the trio in the cave that particular day, and it wasn't the lack of light that was causing it. Construction on the "missile" wasn't going well and Tony was getting increasingly frustrated because of it. Even from where Julia was sitting, huddled in a blanket beside the fire, she could hear him muttering curses and furious words about hydraulics. It was amazing what he'd already being able to build, but a motley assortment of pieces wasn't going to get them anywhere. Yinsen seemed to be ignoring the whole thing, since he was sitting on his cot reading a medical textbook he'd acquired by the beam of a work light.

For the first time in days Julia wasn't in the throes of the emotional rollercoaster that she seemed to be on. She was just cold, and tired, and angry at herself for not being able to stay in control of her own feelings. Yet everything she thought about only depressed and angered her more, feeding the vicious cycle. Another hot tear threatened to slide down her cheek, and she firmly shut her eyes, desperately trying to imagine herself somewhere peaceful. A place where the crash of Tony hurling a wrench into a pile of scraps was really just the sound of her bike rack locks on her SUV snapping closed.

Footsteps outside of their cell door caused all three of the captives to start from the fear associated with that noise. Yinsen stood and faced the door with his hands on his head, and Tony took a couple deep breaths to calm himself before also raising his hands. She was sick of the continual hiding and cowering in the tent she'd have to do with every one of these visits. Putting the blanket in the chair, she too assumed the accepted posture.

"Ramirez, what are you doing?" Yinsen asked anxiously.

"I'm staying out here, there's no point in me hiding; they know I'm here and they know I'm a woman."

"Get in the tent. They're almost here." The bolts were being slid back as he spoke. "Ramirez, get in the tent," he repeated. It was the edge in his voice that made her respond.

Julia closed the curtain just as the door opened. She started wrapping the scarf over her head and shoulders and listened carefully to the exchange between the men outside.

The doctor was translating, "He wants to know how the work is coming along."

"Things are going fine, but I need more supplies," Stark replied.

A moment later Yinsen told him the response, "He says that he will provide them. You've got a list?"

There was a rustle of paper and a moment of silence before Bakaar spoke again. Yinsen wasn't interpreting this time and the foreign conversation continued between the two of them.

Suddenly she could hear Tony's voice; "Hey, where is he going?"

"It's alright, Stark, stay where you are," the doctor assured him.

The curtain was abruptly thrown open and one of Bakaar's armed men stood leering down at her in a way that made her stomach lurch. She was glad that she'd covered her face because her expression of disgust would have been a giveaway. Julia looked at the floor and waited until everyone had left before looking up again.

Tony was the first to break the silence. "What was that all about?" he asked angrily, his words directed at Yinsen.

"They wanted to take a look at her."

"What for? They know what she looks like." He looked at Julia, but she turned her head, avoiding his gaze. "Someone talk to me; what's going on?"

"Stark," the doctor began with a sigh, "you must live a very sheltered life. So close you are to the business of war, yet you know nothing about it. It doesn't matter where one is, women prisoners are brutalized. They would treat her as any other woman."

Julia sat clenching her hands together, her bouncing her legs up and down with her toes. She hated hearing about this; she had heard enough horror stories to makes her sleep with a weapon under her pillow at night.

Yinsen continued, "The only reason that they haven't tried to take her is that I have told Bakaar that she is here for you, Stark, as something of a concubine."

She could feel her face flush from embarrassment. Even Tony looked uncomfortable for a moment, but recovered quickly.

"Well, that wouldn't be too bad…" he quipped, glancing over at her.

"The fact that Ramirez is part of the military could still put her at risk though, but I think that I can reasonably say that you are safe for now," the doctor remarked, almost casually.

The sound of someone talking woke Tony from a less than deep sleep. He got up to inspect the dark room and discovered that the noise was coming from Julia's tent. She was having another restless night; her murmurings were loud enough that it made him pause and listen on the other side of the curtain. In her mind she was far away, it sounded like a routine checklist she was going through, something she would've done at her base. Suddenly her voice got louder, urgently giving orders and repeating names. And then she was screaming.

Tony threw back the curtain and found Julia tangled in blankets, trying to claw them off, while screaming the name Pratt over and over. He caught her before she rolled off the cot and onto the stone floor. She started struggling, fighting against his firm grip.

"Julia… Julia… it's Tony… it was just a dream, everything's ok," he said, doing his best to reassure her.

Finally she seemed to wake up, realizing that she had in fact been dreaming. It was all he could do to sit there and hold her while she cried, her body heaving under his hands with each sob and gasp for breath.

Yinsen approached cautiously and peered in at the scene, his face barely discernable in the dim light. "Is everything all right?" he whispered.

"It will be," Stark answered.


	9. A Moment of Silence

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

**_Author's Note: _**Dude, I've been writing this longer than Stark was in that cave haha! Anyhow, this is definitely the most emotional chapter to date. I'd really appreciate hearing what you thought about it. Any questions or comments, you know how to reach me!

* * *

**Chapter 9 **

Although the doctor's personality was pretty direct – verging on abrupt at times –he was genuinely considerate of others. This was evident by the way he waited for Stark to take a bath before discussing what Julia was dreading was a breakdown. Last night's episode was one of the worst yet, and she knew that it couldn't be ignored any longer; it didn't surprise her that this conversation was coming.

"Ramirez, in your military training, did you ever receive instruction or information about stress?" Yinsen started, his voice calm and level.

"Yes, a little. That kind of thing was usually for people who had experienced trauma though."

"I see. Have you heard of something called post-traumatic stress disorder?" He continued after she gave a hesitant nod. "It is a type of severe anxiety that occurs after a particularly traumatic event. Now, I'm not certain that you have this disorder, but your symptoms indicate that it is a possibility."

"So I'm not having a breakdown?"

"No, I'm quite sure that this is something different. Even so, we don't want it to get any worse."

Julia couldn't imagine feeling even more emotionally turbulent than she already was, and the thought scared her.

"Stark mentioned that you were very anxious about two people: Pratt and Jimmy. May I ask, who are they?"

Her throat tightened when he said those names. "They… were a part of my unit."

"Soldiers, like you?

"Yes. Young and brave," she muttered through clenched teeth.

He pressed another question; "You worked closely with them; they were friends also?"

"Some of the best." Julia's eyes were starting to brim with tears. She could see their faces so clearly.

"Were they involved in the attack on the convoy?"

The images of fallen troops and lifeless bodies flooded her mind, and she couldn't hold her emotions in any longer. "They were killed in that attack!" she screamed, standing suddenly and knocking her chair backwards. "I saw them… shot to pieces." Julia was choking on her words, on her anger. "Just lying there… dead…" She retreated to the tent and collapsed on her bed, moaning in anguish.

"What is going on out here?" Tony demanded furiously. He walked over to the fire where the doctor was sitting. A towel hung around his shoulders, his hair still damp from bathing.

"I did warn that she might react like this," Yinsen told him matter-of-factly.

"You didn't have to push her that far."

"She has to talk about what she experienced or her condition will deteriorate."

"Are you sure that this won't make it worse?"

"Yes," he answered evenly.

Stark glared at the other man, though when he spoke again his voice was lower. "Don't do it that way again. Maybe I should be there next time."

"I must admit that I believe you remind her of those two men."

"What?"

"I've noticed that certain mannerisms make her feel agitated."

"Like what kind of things?"

"Oh, like standing too close to her, or things you say, or being bare-chested…"

"Well, I can't exactly avoid her in here."

"Listen, what I'm hoping is that I've gotten the ball rolling, so to speak, and perhaps she will want to talk openly in the near future. Maybe she'll confide in you."

Tony mulled over the point silently. "I'm sorry – I shouldn't have gotten so worked up about it."

"It's alright; it's only natural that you're concerned."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have yelled my concern. I don't like being angry. And besides, it hurts." He rubbed his chest gingerly.

"One outburst and you've gone and blown out that arc reactor of yours. I should probably have a listen to your heart," Yinsen suggested, ever the practical thinker. There was even a trace of a smile in his expression.

* * *

Julia felt like someone had shot another hole into her. Dozens of times she was recalling that horrible attack that had left two good men dead on sandy road, not to mention others who had surely been killed. She barely came out of her tent for the next two days. Lying on her cot she felt dead too, or somewhere between consciousness and sleep.

The jolt that temporarily brought her back to reality came in the form of Abu Bakaar, the second in command, barking orders. She peeked through the curtain to see the man speaking to Yinsen in an urgent manner while gesturing excitedly.

"Stark, I have to leave for a time. You are to keep working on the missile while I'm away," the doctor instructed as he began to collect some of his equipment together.

Tony was standing by his workbench with his hands on his head, waiting for the armed guards to leave before relaxing his pose. "Whoa, wait a moment – where are you going?"

"There is some kind of medical emergency that I must attend to. Don't worry, just keep doing what you've been doing."

Bakaar spoke again in the foreign language, rushing the doctor along.

Yinsen packed up the last of the supplies he would need and paused to say a word to the younger man. "Stark, take care of things." With that, he was escorted outside the room. The door clanked shut and the sound of footsteps receded until there was silence.

Julia hadn't realized that she had been holding her breath until she felt herself exhale. She stepped out of her tent and looked around; suddenly it seemed so empty, without Yinsen there it didn't feel right. His last message had been all too ominous. She noted that he hadn't said anything like "See you later" either.

"Would you like some help with that?" she asked, finally having thought of something decent to say.

"Uh, sure…" Tony seemed to come back to life; he'd been sitting motionless on his chair. "If you could just hold this part while I thread the wire through, that'd be great."

"Are you hungry or anything?" she asked, trying to make conversation to fill the void.

"Not really. I'll probably have something later."

Finished with the part he set it down, and after a moment looked up to meet her gaze. Julia looked into his face and saw the fear lurking behind his eyes; if he was trying to hide it, he wasn't successful this time. She must have looked the same way, because he started talking again.

"You know, I think we could use some tea right about now. Would you like to do the honors?

She tried to smile a little in response. "Sure. I'll have it ready soon." There was nothing else to do but to keep going.

* * *

Julia's left shoulder ached from the physiotherapy work that Yinsen had her doing. Rebuilding those muscles was important, if she wanted her shoulder to heal properly, but the process was painful. She slid into the hot bath that she'd managed to set up with Tony's help. Bathing was definitely their greatest luxury, and she wanted to make the most of the time she had to herself, immersed in steaming water.

After a while the water started to cool off and she felt like getting out. Julia then realized that she'd left her towel on a nearby box, just out of reach. She stifled a groan went she twisted too far; her shoulder not yet ready for that kind of movement.

"How's everything going in there?" Tony called out from the other side of the divider.

"Fine."

"Doesn't sound that way. Are you sure you didn't overwork your arm?"

"You're starting to talk like Yinsen, you know."

"Well, if you need a hand with anything…"

"I can deal with this," she said firmly. The doctor had always been around to help her wash her hair or back when her arm was in a sling, which had been so uncomfortable in the beginning, though she had gotten used to it. Now, it was difficult to do such simple tasks on her own, but she was determined. Thankfully, she wasn't planning on washing her hair that particular day.

She tried again to snag the cloth her fingertips, but the distance was simply too far. Asking Stark for help would only be a small dent in her pride. "Tony? Would you grab something for me…please?"

There was surely a smug look on his face, but her back was towards him, so she couldn't tell. "My towel over there – I can't reach it."

He kept his eyes averted as he passed her the item, yet remarked, "Anything to get me in here." Leaving her to get dressed, he continued talking to her from his workbench. "Are you doing the laundry afterwards?"

"Yes, I have to – there's a mountain of stuff back here."

"I think I'll take a break and give you a hand. Can I come and get another pot of water?"

"In a moment; I'm not finished yet." Julia quickly finished drying herself and pulled on some fresh clothing. "Alright, you can come in," she called out.

Tony ambled in looking somewhat amused, "How did you get any private time on an army base?"

"We usually got showers to ourselves, and I'd throw out any offenders."

He chuckled and pumped more water from the hand-pump. They would wash the clothing in the water that she'd just used for her bath, then rinse it all in fresh, hot water before hanging it near the fire to dry.

"Did your team ever try to sneak into the showers?" Stark asked after returning from setting up the pot to boil water.

"Yeah, a couple of times, but they were never successful. The guys were always pulling pranks."

"Were you ever on the receiving end of any?"

She smiled to herself and started scrubbing the clothing on a washboard using her good arm. "My initiation to Afghanistan included sand in my sleeping bag and shaving cream in my pillow. Another time I discovered that my water bottle had been filled with vinegar. There were a few others that were a little irritating, but nothing that I couldn't handle; then I got superglue in my vest."

"Wow," he commented form the other side of the basin, where he was also vigorously scrubbing.

"I only had a t-shirt on underneath because of the intense heat. There was no way to pull the vest off after I had gotten it on, so I had to have my shirt cut off." Tony was laughing as she continued telling the story. "Everyone got a good look at my bra, and I got heckled for days. I thought about retaliating, but that would've been down at their level. Then one day my squad was out on patrol in an area that had recently been bombed and we got into a battle with a terrorist group that had seized a town – it could even have been the Ten Rings. I ended up saving someone's life: Pratt, the prankster ringleader. The guys finally accepted me as one of them; I earned a lot of respect after that."

There was a thoughtful expression on Tony's face. "Tell me about Pratt, what was he like? I mean, if you want to talk about him."

Julia exhaled audibly. Some time ago Tony had asked what the names of the men in the Humvee were, but he hadn't said much else; neither of them wanted to think about that day. "His first name was Elian – Elian Pratt – but he went by Pratt because his first name was often mispronounced. He was a practical joker, a loyal friend, a brave soldier, a careful planner – which made him great at strategy games – and a kind, easy-going person. For a lot of the guys he was the brother they never had. Like Jimmy, he really looked up to him. Being in the same team, Pratt and I worked together a lot, and it got to the point that all we'd have to do is look at each other and we knew what the other was thinking."

"You were really close, then."

"Yeah…" She stopped washing and leaned against the tub. "I guess that's what bothers me the most about it all. When that convoy was attacked, I saw Jimmy go down and there was nothing I could do about it. But then I saw Pratt lying on the ground after he'd been hit, and I didn't even stop." She felt her throat get that familiar ache like it did when she was about to cry. "I could've stopped for a moment, just to check… just to see if maybe… but I just kept going. He would've stopped for me!" Julia cried out. "I've seen dead people before, but maybe I just didn't want to see his blood pool around him, or turn him over to see his lifeless eyes staring out." Tears slid off of her face into the water.

Tony slid over beside her and put a hand on her scarred forearm. "You were in shock. You've gone through so much training that you just react, you go on instinct. Julia, I know you would've gone back for him if you could've."

"I just feel so guilty," she muttered. "We said that we'd always be there for each other, that we'd have each other's backs. And I was ten feet away. And I- I- I loved him." Julia broke down sobbing so hard that she felt sick, but that pain wouldn't leave her heart.

If she could've seen Tony Stark's face at that moment as he carefully embraced her, letting her cry on his shoulder, she would've seen that he was capable of empathy when everyone else believed that he didn't care at all.

* * *

The next five days passed at about the same pace as any of the others, but there was a lingering, unspoken anxiety about Yinsen. Stark and Ramirez worked as much as possible, so focused on their task that they barely spoke, but took breaks to cook, exercise, wash clothing, and play backgammon. Julia felt a weight beginning to lift off of her chest since her conversation with Tony – keeping those emotions bottled up inside for so long had taken their toll, and she was nearly an emotional wreck. Even so, she realized that she would probably be grieving for a long time to come.

The first night that Yinsen had been gone, neither she nor Tony had been able to sleep; both had lain awake, worrying. The next night, Julia left the curtains surrounding her bed wide open. She felt cut off inside, especially without the doctor's presence beyond the barrier. Also, she could look over at Tony, and just seeing the blue glow emanating from his chest was comforting. He also seemed relieved of the change, because he was practically alone in the dark cave. Lying on their cots at night while the fire burned low, he liked to talk with her until they both fell asleep – it reminded her of camping. Julia wondered if the genius inventor had missed out of being a kid. It was almost paradoxical that this could be his only real camping experience.

Everyday the guards would slide open a hatch in the door to check on the captives, making sure that there was progress. Six days after the abrupt departure of the doctor, the door was fully opened, and Yinsen was escorted inside the room. Julia could have melted from the rush of relief she felt when she saw him. Unhurriedly, the man set his equipment on his cot and turned to face them.

"This is quite a welcoming party," he said, giving a rare smile.

No one had to say anything; the feeling was shared among the three people.

"Where have you been all this time? I thought we didn't get vacations." Tony's wit was always ready.

"The Ten Rings have been busy engaging in battles in the outside world. They incurred some serious injuries in their last one though; I spent nearly a whole week patching people up."

"What's all the fighting for?" Julia asked.

"In a word: land. They want to control this land and others, and they will do so by force if necessary. It comes at a price sometimes, as they have likely noted."

It was Stark's turn for a question; "Many casualties on their side?"

Yinsen nodded. "Some injuries were just too much. I did all that I could though." There was an angry spark in Tony's eye, which the doctor didn't miss. "You know, I am here to save lives, not to take them away, Stark. But it isn't as though I don't know what those people have done to others."

"No one should have to suffer at the hands of terrorists like them."

"You are correct in saying that. Remember though: you get out of life what you put into it." Yinsen changed the subject, "I have some good news. When I was out there, I was able to see more of how this cavern system is laid out. I can draw some maps, but more importantly, I know the way to get out."

Now Julia was smiling – that was the best news she'd heard in a very long time.


	10. Final Preparations

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_This story is almost finished! As much fun as I've had writing this, it needs to be completed. I'm thinking maybe 1 or 2 more chapters. So, if you haven't read the full thing or have some re-reading to do, now would be a good time to get it done. The action is really going to kick up in the next one. Please take some time to write a review – you know you want to.

* * *

**Chapter 10 **

~ 1 month later – time in cave: 10 weeks (2 ½ months) ~

The detailed sketches of the armoured suit had really taken shape over the past month; without a doubt, Tony Stark knew what he was doing when it came to machines and technology. A cursory glance around the cave – which had been the entire world to the three people inside – would reveal an assortment of parts, tools, and half-finished devices. To the captors, it seemed like the Jericho missile they had demanded was nearly completed. They had certainly waited a long time.

The female soldier that was being held along with the inventor and the doctor, Julia Ramirez, had thrown herself into the work. She found purpose in constructing that suit; all her faith was tied up in Stark's promise that it would be their ticket out of there. It was in her mind everyday as she worked with the two men, and every night as she tried to think of freedom before she fell asleep.

Keeping them all on schedule, and sane, was their placid doctor, Yinsen. He was the only one with a watch, and had taken on the role of time-keeper. Thus, at noon everyday they stopped working to have lunch, which usually consisted of potatoes or rice, some meat, assorted vegetables, and tea. Julia was grateful that they fed them so well, unlike most prisoners.

"I'm going to need a computer," Tony announced as the trio sat around the fire during their break.

"What for?" Yinsen asked, without a trace of disbelief.

"Programming. All of the microchips and processors need to be reprogrammed to get the suit operational, and the only way to do that is with a computer. How feasible would getting one be?"

"Quite feasible, actually. Bakaar was pleased with your progress during his last visit, so I'm sure your request will be met." The doctor was referring to the second-in-command of the terrorist group known as the Ten Rings. Neither Tony nor Julia had seen its leader, only Yinsen.

"I don't think that you'll be able to get much software though," Julia pointed out. "How do you plan to program the suit?"

"The old-school way if I have to, write the codes."

Julia was impressed, but she frequently found that Tony impressed her. His sheer ingenuity was unmatchable. During all of this time, she was able to get to know a quieter side of him that few people ever got to see. Like the majority of the world, she knew about Stark's reputation as an international playboy, a self-absorbed billionaire, and a man who felt above any sort of responsibility. She had a strong disliking for him before she even met him. When it was announced that the Stark of Stark Industries would personally be coming to the unveiling of the Jericho missile to be used by the US military, Julia could barely stop herself from groaning her dismay aloud. A womanizing, alcoholic, showoff like Tony Stark would only disrupt the order of the base. The situation held special irony for her when he chose to ride in the Humvee she was driving.

He had fallen asleep at his workbench again, something that happened a couple times a week. Julia approached and gently touched his shoulder.

"Tony? Tony, you'd be more comfortable lying down. You need to get some sleep," she said softly.

"I was just thinking; I wasn't sleeping," came the groggy reply. "Pepper, could you turn out the light?"

Julia was a little surprised – she hadn't heard him mention that name for a while. She decided not to wake him up from his dream-like state, and turned off the work light as he stumbled to his cot. It was late, Yinsen was already asleep and she was also feeling tired from another long day. She pulled on a thin sweater that she would sleep in because of the chill that set in after the fires burned low.

"Julia, are you awake?"

It was Tony; she thought he'd gone right back to sleep after she sent him to bed. "Yeah, I'm here. Everything ok?"

"I just had a dream, or at least I think it was a dream… it was so real though…"

"You fell asleep at the table, and when I woke you up you called me 'Pepper'," she explained.

"Really?" There was a pause, he was probably thinking about his assistant, then he made a sound that was something between a laugh and a sigh. "I used to do the same thing at home, sometimes because of too much work, other times because of too much play."

"Somehow that isn't a surprise. Which reminds me, I was recently thinking about our lives before, and I happened to recall that I really didn't like you at first."

He chuckled. "When was that?"

Julia walked over to his cot and sat at the foot of it. "When you came to Afghanistan for the missile demonstration."

Tony smiled up at her from his reclined position. "Did my reputation precede me? It usually does."

"Well, that and I already had it in my mind that you were a cocky jerk."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," he replied, un-offended.

"But, when you started cracking jokes and making Pratt and Jimmy laugh, I started to think that maybe you weren't so bad after all." Julia was referring to the other two occupants of the vehicle at that time.

"You were laughing too, if I remember correctly."

"How could you tell? I had all that gear on."

"Your face lights up when you laugh, and I could see your 'excellent bone structure'".

She flushed, a little embarrassed. "I can't believe you remember that. You must've used that line before."

"No, that one was original. And I get to look at your excellent bone structure everyday." Their eyes locked for a moment, yet oddly enough he was the first to look away. "Besides, it's one of the last good memories I have before this. I think about it all the time," he murmured.

Julia could sense his change in mood and knew that he needed some space. "I should make sure I turned everything off at the welding station before I go to bed."

She departed to the other end of the room, letting him become lost in his thoughts. It had been a long time since she had seen him in such a somber mood. The stress of their whole situation was probably the cause of it; after all, they would only get one shot at escape.

* * *

A few days later, Tony was seated in front of a laptop, programming the machine just like he said he would. He had explained how the arc reactor in his chest would be the power source for the entire suit. Julia didn't fully understand how it would all work, but it seemed like Stark knew what he was doing. The device had the primary function of keeping the shrapnel inside his body from entering his heart, but Tony had hinted from the beginning that it would be able to power much more that a simple electromagnet.

The most labour-intensive part of the whole process was the armoured plating that would cover all of the moving parts and weaponry underneath. This involved melting down large amounts of metal, shaping it, and then welding it all together. Despite the air ducts in the cave, the chamber became a virtual oven. The only cool part was in the back washing area, where they periodically took sanctuary from the intense heat of the fire.

Julia there stood in front of a candle-lit mirror tying her hair back before going to work. It used to be quite short, the ends of it barely brushing her shoulders, but now it was well past them. She hadn't ever fussed over it like most women do their locks, and kept her wavy brown hair in a tight bun at the nape of her neck so that she could easily slip on a helmet. Over the months of letting it grow out Julia began to notice how well it suited her, as did Tony. She recalled the day she asked Yinsen to cut her bangs – he could've moonlighted as a stylist by the way he used those scissors – and the way Tony stared at her afterwards. If only Pratt could see her now.

The heavy clanging from the metal being shaped was so jarring that she initially wondered if she would be physically able to do the task. Yinsen had also voiced his reservations about Stark's capabilities, but once Tony got going there was no stopping him. It felt as though they had gone back in time to the days of blacksmiths and metalworkers. She'd glance at him as they worked, sweat pouring off of them both, but he'd grin back at her – he was thoroughly enjoying it all.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. "Still sore?"

"Not as much. I think I'm already building muscle," Julia had to talk loudly to be heard over all the noise. "It hasn't even been a week that we've been doing this."

"Doesn't take long – this kind of work will shape you faster than any gym could." He heaved another plate into the water to cool it, flexing his bare, well-defined arms.

"Stark, Ramirez, I'm getting you more water before you both pass out!" Yinsen shouted. The doctor still wore a formal shirt, but had rolled up the sleeves. He didn't do too much of the forging because the others had insisted that he reserve his hands for the delicate medical work that he performed.

"I could sure use a beer right about now," Tony sighed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

* * *

After they had turned off the work lights of the daytime hours, the glow of the fire was so warm and inviting. Yinsen had already turned in for the night; he always stuck to his schedule of being in bed before eleven o'clock. His fellow captives decided to linger fireside and drink more tea. They chatted pleasantly for a time until there was a lull in the conversation.

"I think the suit will be ready within the next seven or eight days," Tony said solemnly.

Fear in an almost tangible form seemed to flood the space where her diaphragm had been in one swift movement. "Really?" was all she could manage to say.

"There isn't that much left to do. Once it's done, we have to make our move. I can't assemble it and wait."

Julia felt weak. This was exactly what they had been planning for, yet to finally be so close to the day all of their plans would come together… "At least we've got some time to get mentally prepared for the whole thing."

A glance at his face surprised her – his eyes had a look that was near to haunted. "I just want you to know," he murmured, "that this could be our last stand here. I don't exactly have a back-up plan."

"I know. We'll have to give it everything we've got."

"There are just so many things I have to do. I've wasted so much of myself on meaningless things. There isn't much waiting for me at home."  
"Don't say that…"

"I don't have any family, no pets, no relatives. The number of people that I'm closest to, I can count on one hand. Even then, they aren't friends exactly. That's it – aside from all of the material stuff, which I don't care about anyway. That's my entire life right there. You and Yinsen have families to return to. He was right when he said that I'm the man who has everything and nothing."

"Tony, stop it," she said with a stronger tone, though she knew that it was probably true.

He continued as if he hadn't heard her. "I never even got to say goodbye to my father. I didn't know him really, but there are things that I wish I could've asked him; like, how did he feel about the company? Was he ever conflicted? Did he have doubts? I didn't even ask myself those questions until we were put in here. And believe me I have plenty of doubts. What have I done to make the world a better place? I've only made war more convenient. And now I can see who is really paying for it. People like Pratt and Jimmy."

"Don't blame yourself for what happened to them; there is always risk involved in what we do."

"Whose of weapons killed them, and nearly killed you? Mine. Virtually everything in this stronghold is made by my company." He pointed at the blue glow in his chest. "I'm the reason I have this. That rocket that exploded read Stark Industries on the side. I was close enough to read it. The instant I saw it I knew the capabilities of that thing because I'd worked on stuff like that."

Julia turned away, wincing from the memory of seeing the rocket explode in front of him. She only looked up when Tony clutched her hand.

"I promise that I'll make this right. I wouldn't be alive now if it weren't for that reason."

"I know you will," she replied. He looked so fatigued; the stress was getting to him. Then again, it was getting to them all.

* * *

The suit was bulky – there was no way around it. Julia didn't need a scale, even if there was one around, to know that it probably weighed a ton, or at least more than a person could possibly hope to maneuver. Not only was Tony Stark supposed to wear that thing, but he would have to be able to walk and move in it. She had grave concerns about the whole thing, but didn't dare voice them. One aspect of the military that a soldier always kept in mind was not to question one's superiors, and Tony was the boss on this operation. Yinsen, however, lacked a military background, and the two men were now in a heated discussion.

"Stark, you'll barely be able to lift an arm once everything is bolted together. I don't think that it will be possible for you to stand, unless the suit can support itself."

"Once I get it fully hooked up to the program it will come online and start functioning, and all I'll have to do is control it."

"But we can't be sure that it will work that way without testing it!"

"And we both know that we can't test it that way. If they look through that camera and see me walking around in a tin can, they'll know something's up."

"Even if it does work, will the reactor be able to support both you and the suit without burning out? The plan is useless if you collapse in the middle of escaping."

"My math is right – I know it is."

"The suit could be more taxing on the reactor than you calculated. Fifteen minutes of run-time for this machine is just an estimate."

"Once again, I know that my math is right. You've got to trust me on this."

Yinsen threw his hands up in the air. "I just don't want to see you come this far to have it all fall apart."

Tony also relented. "What I really need right now is support. This is going to work. This is the plan and we can't think about everything else that could happen. And I know that there's a lot riding on this, on me." He cast a meaningful look at them both, but it lingered on Julia, who sat in silence nearby. "I know that you're depending on me to do this; I just need to lean on you guys a bit."

* * *

Once a definite plan for escape was devised, the final testing on the parts of the suit began. There was no hidden corner that they could use, and they would have to rely on limited screens to avoid detection by the people watching. Both arms of the suit were completed, but did not yet have the thick armor plating, so they could have passed as the missiles the Ten Rings desired. What was more, they responded perfectly to Tony's careful programming.

"I don't want to connect the entire leg parts," Tony said, "but I need to check the hydraulics. The upper section doesn't have much besides the bracing and the plating."

"Alright, sit up on the table here and we will try to get this contraption on your foot," Yinsen replied.

Julia also came over to help, wielding a screwdriver. "Just tell us if it's on too tightly or if it pinches," she told him.

After about eight minutes it was on. "This is going to be very heavy with the metal plating," the doctor commented. "How does is it feel right now?"

"Ah, it's ok." Stark handed him a wire. "Here, plug this into the computer and hit the code."

As soon as the key code was entered, the leg of the suit powered up as well. "It's running on this end – try moving your leg."

Tony did so and it responded in a jerky fashion at first, before moving more smoothly as he got a feel for it. The inventor already had a grin on his face. "It's working; that's good enough for me! I could kick a pretty good field goal with boots like these."

Julia laughed despite the tension; they were literally one step closer to freedom.

They had just cleaned up the evidence of their suit testing and Tony had gone back to welding when the viewport in the door of their cell made the three stop in their tracks. Julia was already reclining on her cot and quickly closed the curtains around it before the door was opened. Instead of Abu Bakaar standing in front of several armed guards, a tall man with a shorn head entered, flanked on both sides by his men.

Inside her enclosure, Julia watched intently, scarcely breathing for fear that she would be noticed. The man had to be the leader of the Ten Rings that Yinsen had spoken about, known as Raza. He spoke English and addressed Tony Stark only, talking about Stark weapons and expressing his desire to control an empire as large as Genghis Khan's. She could see Tony bristling at the man's presence, while Yinsen tried to send him cues to remain calm.

Suddenly the language changed, as Raza addressed the doctor. After a brief exchange he gave an order to his guards, who put Yinsen on his knees. Julia clenched her fists to keep herself from gasping at what she next saw; the terrorist leader held a glowing coal in a pair of metal tongs. She didn't have to know what they were saying to realize that they might torture Yinsen right there. Her heart beat at a feverish pace as she tried to choose between waiting the situation out or making a move now.

Before she could do anything, Tony took a step forward, saying, "Look, whatever he did-" A unified shout from Bakaar and the rest of the men in addition to drawn weapons halted his intervention, but Raza also paused in moved the burning object closer to the doctor's face. "I need him," Stark said boldly, then mumbled, "Good assistant."

Raza let the piece of coal drop from the tongs to an anvil, inches away from Yinsen. "You have till tomorrow, to assemble my missile." He gave another order in his language before turning to leave. Julia felt her heart stop as his men moved swiftly towards her location.

There was no where to hide and no where to run. They tore back the curtains and two guards grabbed her arms, pinning them behind her back, as she was hauled towards the center of the action.

"Hey, wait! What are you doing?" Tony shouted.

The guards stood her in front of Raza who slowly unwrapped some of the scarf from around her face. When they had first been brought to the cave, Yinsen had instructed her to where it out of respect for the land's customs; it had served as a protection, until now. He yanked off the rest of the fabric and glared at her. "You don't need this woman here anymore. Your only concern is to finish the missile, Stark."

With that she was dragged out of the room. It was useless to fight at this point, but she still struggled under the hold of the guards as they led her away. Julia couldn't look back to see his face, but the sound of Tony hollering her name echoed down the dark corridors.


	11. Nothing Like Adrenaline

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note:**_OK, as much as I don't want to give spoilers for my own chapter, I must provide a warning to you mild-mannered readers. This chapter contains: threats of death, torture, violence (against a woman in particular), a hand-to-hand fight, attempted rape, dead bodies, use of guns, and flesh wounds. I think that covers it. None too graphic, but if you object to anything on the list, now would be a good time to either hit the back button or simply wait for the next chapter. I always appreciate reviews (hint, hint)…

* * *

**Chapter 11 (Nothing Like Adrenaline)**

After being taken from the chamber that also held Tony and Yinsen, Julia was briskly led down the rough hallways of the cave system to a smaller room of about the same size. It held all sorts of extra supplies, like food and ammunition, although Stark had said that the outside of the cave was where the majority of weaponry was held. The Ten Rings leader, Raza, also entered and stood in front of her. There were only four other guards in the room besides him, the rest having dispersed.

Raza looked at her with eyes that burned with dark intensity. She had expected him to have cold, soulless eyes, but it seemed that the opposite was true. "You are part of the American military," he stated. "You are able to identify different guns and weapons… What type of missile is Stark building?"

"The Jericho missile," Julia answered, doing her best to maintain her composure. She tried to stop her imagination from coming up with horrible outcomes of her present situation.

"If Stark presents something that is not the missile, he will live long enough to watch you die. He is an intelligent man, yet I will remind him that he is not the one in control."

It was only when Raza stepped aside that she noticed the video camera set up facing in her direction. She suddenly remembered Yinsen mentioning a ransom message that had been filmed with Tony shortly after the two of them were captured. Only this time the camera wouldn't be recording any ransom demands.

Raza turned on the device and approached Julia slowly. His hand lashed out in a vicious backhand, one of his rings leaving on long, red line of blood across her cheek. She would have fallen backwards if it weren't for the guards still holding her arms. Julia braced herself from another blow; surprisingly, Raza took a seat off to the side of the room.

"Stark should feel this personally," he said ominously. One of the men dragged a table over and another put a large rectangular tank on top. As they filled it with water, Julia understood what the Ten Rings leader meant. When Tony had refused the terrorists' order to reproduce the Jericho missile, he'd immediately undergone water torture. Seeing her go through the same thing would force him to relive that awful experience.

The two guards holding her began shoving her towards the tank and she struggled fiercely, digging her heels into the ground. Ultimately it took all four of the men to dunk her into the tank. Each time they pulled her head out of the water she gasped for air like it was the last time she would ever take in oxygen. Julia started to black out as increasing amounts of water seeped down her airways and into her lungs. She thought she would drown for sure.

It felt like an eternity before Raza gave an order to stop. She didn't realize that he had until the guards let her drop to the floor, choking and coughing out water. Air never tasted so good – Julia lay on the ground soaking wet and drawing ragged breaths. The guards took her by the arms again and dragged her from the room, her legs too weak to support her body.

* * *

A couple hours later, Julia woke up in a small room lit by only one bare light bulb. She had a hazy remembrance of being thrown inside there after nearly being drown. There was a rickety cot with a woolen blanket, which she lay on, and not much else. She awkwardly tried to raise herself to a seated position, her muscles felt tight and sore. Ironically, the room looked familiar, like the one she had been put in when she had a bullet in her shoulder.

Tony and Yinsen were still in the large chamber, or at least she hoped that they were. Raza wanted that missile ready by tomorrow, which gave them only twenty-four hours to get the metal suit operational. Julia wondered if the terrorist leader had already shown them the footage of her undergoing the water torture. It made her sick knowing that Tony would see it; he was already blaming himself for Pratt and Jimmy's deaths and this would only add to his guilt. Not to mention the psychological effect that it would probably have. He had been deeply disturbed by the torture, especially in his already weakened condition. Never in his life had he gone through anything remotely like that.

Julia shivered, her long sleeved shirt and sweater were still very damp and they weren't going to dry in this air. The cave was always cold, always dank. If she couldn't warm up, there was a possibility that hypothermia might set in after a couple hours. She removed both articles of clothing and wrung them out. There was no where to hang them to let them air-dry, so a brisk shake would have to do. After pulling the chilled garments back on she wrapped herself in the blanket.

After a few hours someone thrust a bowl of stew inside the cell, and then it was quiet for a long time. There was the occasional sound of footsteps in the hallway outside but no one came to check on her. A guard was posted outside of the door, but she couldn't have gotten past the deadbolt anyway. Julia was lying on her back with her boot-clad feet up against the wall when she heard the lock slide back. As a man entered, she deftly moved to a seated position, feeling apprehensive about the present situation.

A quick scan told her that he was without his automatic weapon, and since there hadn't been any other sounds in hallway she concluded that he might be the guard. There was a high chance that he would have a concealed weapon, like a handgun or knife, so she'd have to be wary. The guard seemed to be sizing her up as well and wasted no time in making a clumsy lunge at her. Julia had been expecting it and dove to the floor, and doing a combat roll which put her next to the wall. He looked surprised at her quick reaction and she knew that he'd move faster the next time.

Unfortunately the room was so small that no matter where she moved, she was basically cornered. The guard took another dive for her and she tried to jump clear of his arms, but he managed to catch her ankle. Julia hit the floor hard and he moved in to pin her down, still holding onto her leg. Using the momentum of flipping to her back, she flung out her leg and sent her heel into the man's gut. The kick sent him crashing to the wall, giving Julia enough time to spring to her feet and get into a fighting stance.

There was an enraged look in the guard's eyes before he charged at her again. It only took one step for him to cross the room. Julia already had gotten in a low position, but the man tackled her like a football player, slamming her down; her head just barely missed the rock wall. This time he had managed to get a tight hold around her thighs that prevented her from kicking out of it. Using her forearm to strike him across the head, she stunned him enough to loosen his grip enough for her to get free. She scrambled to get away but his hands grasped her ankle again. Julia was able to grab a supporting bar of the cot and heaved the contraption in his direction. It collapsed on top of the guard, but didn't do enough damage to stop him.

Julia kicked frantically, yet he managed to catch her other leg. She was already on her front and if he held her down now, it wasn't likely that she'd be able to get free again. The man tried to get onto her back and restrain her arms, but she was ready for it. A fierce jab of her elbow into his torso made him land on the ground instead of her. Julia quickly rolled away and got up again, feeling more confident in taking her attacker while in a vertical position.

This time she went on the offensive, throwing a couple well-aimed punches at his face, one in the diaphragm, and another headshot. Although he was reeling he seized her arm, but Julia had gained enough momentum to push him back into the wall, hearing a satisfying thud as his body hit the rock. With her arm against his neck the thought of strangling him came into her mind; a desperate, enraged notion Instead she delivered a swift knee to the groin and let him fall to the floor moaning and rolling about in pain.

Panting for breath, Julia opened door to her cell and glared at the man. "Get out," she muttered darkly.

Though he probably didn't speak English, his departure was hastened all the same, and the lock clicked back into place.

Julia collapsed into a corner of the room, completely exhausted from the assault. She was proud of herself for being able to fight off the would-be rapist, but terrified at the thought of it happening again. Bruises all over her body were starting to swell, she'd feel those soon enough. As she wiped the blood off her face from the cuts she'd gotten, her hand shook a little from the adrenaline rushing through her veins, her heart still pounding from the battle.

* * *

The hours passed without much event, but Julia was extremely agitated since her unwanted visitor. She couldn't even fall asleep; she would wake up at the slightest bit of noise from outside her cell. In addition to a slowly drying shirt and sweater, she now had an assortment of minor flesh wounds. To keep her muscles from tightening, Julia periodically stretched and did other low-impact exercises. Eventually the door opened a crack and another small bowl of food was slid inside.

It was impossible to say what would happen to her, or Tony and Yinsen. Her thoughts kept going back to the two men. Hopefully they would continue with the plan and escape. All she could do was pray that she too would be able to taste freedom, even if it meant she might die trying.

However, the most pressing matter was one of surviving another attack, in case another guard tried to take advantage of her. What if more than one came, maybe several? She didn't want to think about it. But the next time she might need a weapon and a knife would be silent.

When she was helping Tony make the armour, Julia had also began crafting a shank – a crude, prison-style knife. It was currently little more than a dull piece of metal with fabric tied around the handle; being surrounded by rock, she started sharpening it. The work was tedious and difficult, but critical since it might mean the survival of herself and the others. She couldn't tell how long it had been since Raza had issued his demand to Stark, so there might not be that much time left until he returned. Julia feverishly grated the metal into the stone, scraping and cutting her hands several times. It was only when she had gotten a sharp point and a decent edge to her knife did she allow herself to rest.

Julia was lying on the army cot – which now lay on the floor – when she heard a noise like an explosion. Everything shook and dirt cascaded from the cave ceiling, making her wonder just how well constructed the underground network was. Almost immediately afterward there was shouting and the sound of people running. Was this whole place about to collapse? She braced herself in a corner and listened intently, hoping that she wouldn't be buried alive. About a half a minute passed and then she heard gunfire, heading her way. It seemed to stop right outside, then the bolt slid and the door opened slowly.

"Julia?"

She heaved a sigh of relief, recognizing voice to be Yinsen's. If he hadn't spoken out she would've likely kicked him, as she was already in a defensive mode. She returned the shank to its hiding place in her right boot. "Yinsen, how did you get here?"

"We're escaping, this is it. Tony had originally planned to go out first and we would rescue you along the way, but he needed more time before the suit powered up." He sheepishly handed her the gun. "I picked this up, but I didn't shoot anybody."

Julia gave it a quick once-over; it looked like a Stark Industries automatic assault rifle, a solid weapon but low on ammunition. "We're going to need more ammo for this. What happens now?"

"Hopefully Tony has made it past the first checkpoint. We need to meet with him at the second one, and from there he'll clear the path out for us. You lead the way and I'll direct you."

The two of them moved stealthily through the darkened passageways. The commotion up ahead was accentuated by the staccato of gunfire, and they crouched low to avoid ricocheting bullets. They nearly tripped on the bodies left in the wake of Stark and his suit.

"Take this vest off and put it on. I'll look for ammo clips," she instructed the doctor upon seeing the body armour on a fallen guard; he would need a bulletproof vest more than she would.

There was a distinct burnt odour in the air, which got stronger as they got closer to the action. Under their boots, scores of casings clinked. Suddenly around the next turn, Stark came into view. The suit was bigger and more fearsome than she had expected. Gears whirred under the thick plating as he lumbered forward, throwing men out of his path and deflecting bullets.

The rest of the guards had fled and Yinsen shouted to the man inside. "We'll go up ahead; count your steps!"

The way that Tony had programmed it would only allow so many procedures to be carried out without completely draining the arc reactor in his chest, and that included walking.

"Wait, you stay behind Tony and I'll go up ahead," Julia told him.

"Did you find a vest?"

"No. I'll find one on the way."

Yinsen slipped his off. "Take mine."

The corridor was clear – everyone was probably outside setting up for the moment Stark emerged. It felt just like any time she had gone on patrol outside of the army base, beyond the fence there was no safety. Her heart pounded and the adrenaline flowed freely, but this time her hands were steady, her mind calm. Julia could see the daylight pouring into the shaft opening just ahead. She got even lower to the ground, back against the rock, and slowly peered around the corner – all clear. One step would have given her the first glimpse of daylight in three months, but something made her flinch.

Behind cases of weapons and sandbags were more Ten Rings men waiting. She couldn't count them without being seen, but she knew they were there. Julia took a deep breath and leaned out just enough to fire the gun properly. Squeezing the trigger, the muzzle blazed fire and bullets as she sprayed the room with the deadly apparatus. They were taken by surprise, but quickly returned a hailstorm of shots. Her gun had only one and a third clips of ammunition left. She rapidly finished the first and switched to the fresh one. Tony and Yinsen were nowhere to be seen.

There was a lull in the gunfire followed by the sound of movement; everyone had likely retreated outside to where the main battle would take place. Julia took a cautious glance but couldn't see anything. She kicked a rock out, but when it didn't draw a reaction, she figured it was clear. The next safe zone, that would give her room to maneuver when Tony Stark came on the scene, was behind a large pile of bagged fertilizer.

She was already going for a low, quick dash when she heard the tell-tale crunch of boots on gravel; it came too late. Julia dove for cover, though not before two bullets slammed into her. Frantically clutching at the area that she expected to be gushing blood, she realized that the body armour had stopped the shots. Even so, she was temporarily winded, and whoever shot at her might walk over and finish the job if he knew she was still breathing. Between the sacks she could just see the person – Raza. He tucked a handgun into his garments and raised an assault rifle of his own, outfitted with a grenade launcher. His aim was dead on the tunnel that Tony would enter from.

It was then that Stark came trudging into view with Yinsen alongside him. The doctor spotted her on the ground and started running for her.

"Julia!" Tony yelled, his voice muffled.

He would've also gone to her if she hadn't screamed. "Tony, watch out!"

Raza launched the projectile; it would surely have killed Tony Stark had he not rotated his body in time. Yinsen, however, was in mid-flight towards her, and the impact of the rocket hitting the rock wall sent him flying.

Instantly Tony flipped up his own missile which was built into the left arm of his bulky suit. The resulting explosion sent rock crashing down onto the terrorist leader. Julia wasn't sure if he was dead or alive, and wasn't going to wait around to find out.

She crawled over to where Yinsen lay sprawled out on the ground. "Can you hear me? Yinsen! Are you hurt?"

He groaned softly, "My leg…"

A mere glance told her that he likely had shrapnel in it. There wasn't much that she could do about it right here and now.

Tony flipped his helmet up so he could see better. "Come on, move with us. We've got a plan, let's stick to it." His pale face showed his concern for the fallen member of their team.

"This was always the plan. Just go ahead."

"Lean against me and I'll get you out," Julia told him. "Just think about your family, you'll see them soon."

"My family is dead. I will be seeing them shortly. It's alright… go."

Julia and Tony exchanged distraught looks. His family had been dead all along? She didn't have the time to process this shocking information. And they did have a plan to stick with.

"Your family will have to wait for you then," she said. He wasn't the heaviest man – Julia hauled him up onto her shoulders, holding onto an arm and his good leg. "Lead the way, Tony."

He gave her a half-smile before flipping the helmet back down and turning to face the only way out, knowing either freedom or death awaited them on the other side.


	12. In Fire and In Blood

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_I can't believe the story is almost over! This is a crazy chapter – if you handled the last one you'll be fine for this one also. Thank you for all the reviews! Special shout-out to _saichick_ and _JustWriter2 _for your encouragement and informative input to the story =) I'm all smiles.

* * *

**Chapter 12 (In Fire and In Blood)**

Outside of the cave waited dozens of heavily armed men, their weapons trained at the metal man that strode out of the darkness. There was a moment of silent awe before the shooting started, then bullets from high-powered rifles pelted the suit. Tony Stark had made it well, despite the scraps that he had had to work with. So far the armour was impenetrable.

The gunfire stopped once the men realized this. Tony raised his arms and activated the suit's most devastating feature: flamethrowers. The metal arms spewed fire across the Ten Rings arsenal as he walked forward, engulfing men, equipment, and the stockpiles of Stark Industries weaponry – that which had been used to wreak untold havoc.

This was the part of the plan that Julia had been waiting for. Armed with a gun and carrying an injured Yinsen across her shoulders, she ran into the light, but halted abruptly because of the intense brightness. It had been three months since she had last seen the sun, and its dazzling effects were more than she expected. Blinking fiercely, she continued on, charging up the ridge that separated the cave entrance from where the vehicles were hidden. The doctor had drawn a good map for her to follow and she had memorized it completely. Her mission was to get Yinsen and herself away from the camp, while Tony would fight their captors and burn down the base.

The shots from the huge, fifty-caliber gun mounted on an opposite ridge shook the valley. Julia turned to see something that made her sick; Tony was coming under a barrage of bullets as the Ten Rings men started to rally and begin a second wave of shooting. The intensity of the scene was heightened by the fires that had burned away the camouflage netting over the cases of guns. By this point it was totally uncontrollable and she knew the ammunition would ignite within a couple minutes at most – the whole base would go up in a scorching explosion. And there was nothing she could do to help Stark. Julia tore her eyes from the nightmarish scene and jogged down the other side of the ridge.

Her body wasn't physically ready for the demanding task that it had to perform. She hadn't gotten a lot of exercise in the cave and Julia was already weakened from the ordeal that she'd just undergone in the past twenty-four hours. By the time she got down into the adjacent valley, she was all but stumbling. Using a boulder as sufficient cover, she set Yinsen down.

"I'm going to get a truck. Stay here, don't move."

"You won't have to worry about that," the doctor replied with a feeble smile.

Making a dash for the makeshift garage wasn't too difficult, but before she could start up one of the trucks, she would have to make sure that there was no one still guarding the area. With all the gunfire and smoke coming from the battle, it was unlikely that there would be anyone else around. After confirming that, she selected a vehicle.

The Ten Rings' transportation fleet was composed of battered, light-weight pick-up trucks, each mounted with a fifty-caliber gun in the back. Julia ran back for Yinsen and carried him over to their get-away car. After he was inside, she hot-wired the ignition to start it and then pulled back some of the camouflage netting – it covered all the machines and prevented them from being spotted in an aerial patrol. She didn't let herself think about Tony; it was necessary to focus on her part of the plan now more than ever.

She drove the truck clear of the base and stopped. No one had spotted them, but she had to make sure that they wouldn't be followed either. Manning the death-dealing gun, Julia flicked the safety off and pointed at the remaining trucks. The spinning barrel deposited a downpour of shells onto the flatbed of the truck, while the oversized bullets shredded the vehicles. In a matter of seconds, they caught fire. Julia got back into the driver's seat and accelerated rapidly, leaving the terrorist base in the dust.

A series of deafening explosions sent shockwaves through the air, rattling the truck. She glanced over her shoulder to witness one of the largest explosions – aside from the Jericho missile's – that she had ever seen. Fire mushroomed from the valley and extended skyward, shooting rock in all directions. Tony Stark had been in the middle of it.

Then a white streak shot up out of the fireball and high above the mountains.

"The jets! They're working!" she hollered, yanking the steering wheel. Driving as fast as she dared over the treacherous ground, she headed for his trajectory, trying to simultaneously swerve boulders and watch the man soaring hundreds of feet above.

Her joy was short-lived though; the boosters cut out abruptly and Stark began loosing altitude at a sickening pace.

"He's going to crash," Yinsen murmured gravely from the passenger seat.

It was several minutes before the truck reached the sand dunes and the drive became easier. The doctor had braced himself in such a position that would limit his leg from moving, but he looked like he could be going into shock. Julia had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the place that she last saw Stark land. Eventually the land evened-out and she could see further. Ahead there was what looked to be a pile of rocks in the middle of the sand, the dirty windshield making it difficult to see clearly. The smoke was what convinced her otherwise.

She stopped twenty feet from the heap of twisted metal and leapt from the truck. Julia started running, but then slowed. It just now occurred to her that Tony may not have survived the tremendous fall back to earth. More than anything she didn't want to find his broken body amidst the debris. She felt almost nauseous, but continued approaching.

In the middle of it all a figure lay motionless and half-buried in the sand. His face was grimy and bloody, but it was Stark's face.

"Tony!" she shrieked. Julia sprinted to him and fell to her knees. "Tony! Oh my gosh… Tony wake up!" For fear of injury she didn't want to touch him; though he hadn't stirred a bit, he appeared to be breathing. "Tony, can you hear me? Anthony!"

The man coughed a couple times and opened his eyes, slowly focusing them on her. "No one has called me 'Anthony' in a long time," he murmured softly. "You can stop crying – I'm alive."

She hadn't even realized that she had tears running down her face, she hastily wiped them away. "You're sure you're alright? The suit got destroyed…" Julia gazed around at the remains of a project that had taken Tony Stark three months of hard labour in a cave with only scraps to use.

"That's why I'm still in one piece," he assured her. "I think I passed out, but that's all. The arc reactor is still running, that's the main thing. It's going to take a while to dig out of this though."

"I'll be right back to help you – I'll tell Yinsen and bring the truck closer."

From inside the vehicle, the doctor watched as Julia and Tony cleared away the waist-deep sand that prevented him from getting out of the metal suit. It had, in fact, worked far better than any of them had expected. Finally Stark was able to crawl from the wreckage. Amazingly his jacket that he had worn underneath the armour was still fairly intact. Nevertheless, he hadn't gotten away unscathed. Tony's shoulders and arms were bloody from several lacerations, and it was likely that he had other cuts and bruises.

Even from a short distance, Yinsen noticed him wince and clutch his arm. "You're injured, Stark. Come over here and let me take a look."

He tried to dismiss it, saying, "It's not that bad."

"I'm the doctor – I'll be the judge of that."

Julia had to smile; the man already had his own wounds but he was still taking care of them.

"Is it dislocated?" Tony asked.

"No, fortunately not," Yinsen proclaimed after his examination. "However it is separated. Try not to move it too much; we don't want it getting any worse. Ramirez, could you tie up his jacket as a sling?"

"Right away. Then we have to get moving – we can't afford to sit around here too long."

"It'll take them a while to get organized," Tony remarked.

She glanced at the billowing smoke off in the distance from the remains of the Ten Rings' camp. "I'd still feel better with some miles between us."

* * *

With Tony in the back of the truck in the company of the fifty-cal, and Yinsen beside her in the passenger seat, Julia sped across the endless sand dunes. She hadn't driven in months, but it all came back to her so quickly. Unless she was on patrol – when she would have to worry about numerous hazards – Julia had always enjoyed just being able to get in vehicle and drive. There didn't have to set a specific destination in mind, it was relaxing just to cruise along.

None of them knew where they were or where the nearest town was, but they hadn't seen a soul anywhere. They had been driving for a while, so it didn't surprise her that they were low on gas. Eventually the truck started to slow and sputter.

"Out of fuel?" Yinsen ventured a guess.

"Yeah, pretty much."

After lurching a few more yards the truck stopped dead in the sand. Stark walked over to her open window and leaned on the sill.

"That's it?" he asked.

She sighed, "That's it."

No one had to say it – they would have to continue on foot.

"How are you feeling?" Tony asked the doctor.

"I'm fine."

"Ok, before we go anywhere we'll have to rig up something for you, since I can't carry you to civilization," Julia said. "I could manage pulling a sled though."

"A sled? What are you thinking of doing?" he asked.

"I'll take off this door and you can sit on it."

"Are you sure you'll be able to pull it?" Stark looked skeptical.

"Yes." She had that determined expression on her face which reflected what she felt inside.

Standing on the outer side of the wide-open truck door, she pulled it in a swift, jerking motion that shook the whole vehicle. Though the truck appeared worn-out, the door certainly wasn't giving way.

"Alright, if you get over on the far left and get low to the ground, I'll shoot a couple holes into hinges; that should loosen things up a bit."

This time it was Tony's turn to look impressed; he had never seen her shoot a gun before.

Julia also crouched before making the shots, since she didn't want to get hit by a ricocheting bullet. The gunshots sounded like thunder in the noiseless desert. When the echoes died away only the wind could be heard.

It was a strenuous task but she eventually got the door off and stripped it as best she could. Tony pulled out a seat cushion from the interior for the doctor to sit on, while Julia secured a rope so she could pull it. There weren't any other useful items in the truck, besides the weapon in the back.

"In case they're looking for us and find the truck, I don't want them to be able to use it. Tony, would you puncture the tires?" She pulled the shank from her boot. "Use this knife. I'm going to jam the gun." Julia had already slipped back into command mode, taking the lead and giving directions. Even so, she felt a little awkward doing it, since it had been Stark who had really set the pace for all those months, yet he seemed comfortable letting her take charge; the escape and crash-landing had been taxing on him.

With the preparation work complete, the three ex-captives set off across the sand. It was hotter than in the truck, where they had shade and a breeze flowing over them. Out here there was only the sun. Julia soon stripped off her sweater and gave it to Yinsen to use as extra cushioning for the makeshift sled. The doctor suggested wrapping an article of clothing over their heads to shield their eyes from the intense brightness. She had only a thin camisole on underneath, but the shirt would protect her face and shoulders from getting sunburned. Tony also put his jacket over his head, holding it secure with his injured arm.

They trudged along, scarcely speaking unless it was necessary. Being completely without supplies, they had to conserve as much energy as possible. Julia's throat was parched – she desperately needed water, as did the others. Pulling Yinsen along behind her felt like pulling a mountain. Every step was an aching effort; it was willpower more than anything that kept her going. Tony helped as much as he could with one arm but it was still an exhaustive undertaking. She didn't want to stop for fear that she wouldn't have the strength to get going again. Every so often she would glance back at Yinsen. Clad in his undershirt with the other on his head, his long, thin arms were exposed, quickly darkening in the sun.

Julia never quit at anything in her life, yet all she wanted to do right now was stop walking. Part of her wanted to tell Tony to continue without her, but she was Yinsen's only way of getting out of the desert, and she wasn't about to let him down. Nevertheless she could feel her body being dehydrated. The cave had been a cool, damp place – this was the exact opposite. Julia began to wonder if she was hallucinating. Images seemed to dance on the horizon; maybe it was the heat waves, or just the fatigue. Walking up in front, Tony also stumbled along likely feeling much the same way, while the wind-propelled sand bit into his torn skin.

Eventually the sun started to sink low in the sky. With the unrelenting heat and light fading, Julia no longer felt as dizzy or as weak as she had earlier, yet she was nearly out of energy. Night came swiftly upon the desert, and she knew that the temperatures would soon make a substantial drop. She speculated that they would probably make it through the night, but wouldn't let her thoughts go beyond that. Her training had taught her to kept a firm hold on realities, and not let the imagination run rampant.

The roar of helicopters overhead startled the small group. Instinctively Julia reached for her rifle, which was in the sled beside Yinsen. It took a moment for her to realize that the machines bore the markings of the United States military. She wasn't sure that she was really seeing them until Tony started waving his arm and shouting. The helicopters landed on a level area nearby, and by the time the soldiers disembarked and began running in their direction, Julia had already collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Tony also slumped to his knees, his hand high in the air gesturing the symbol of peace.

Out of the dust five men ran forward, four with weapons drawn. Julia was still held up her own gun until she recognized the first one as Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes from weapons development; he had flown in with Tony for the Jericho missile test.

"How was the 'funvee'?" he called out as he approached his friend. The allusion referred to what Tony had dubbed the Humvee he had been in. "Next time you ride with me, ok?"

His head drooped onto Rhodes' chest and Tony Stark gave way to tears. He was completely spent after the ordeal; physically, mentally, and emotionally. Julia had never seen him cry in all of those three months, he had always been the picture of resolve. Now, just for a brief moment he could fully let his guard down – Julia was never more proud of him.

"Hey, give him some space," Rhodes directed the other soldiers. "Let's get these people onto the choppers."

She couldn't move even if she had wanted to; Julia let the soldiers attend to her, putting a canister of water to her mouth. By the time they were settled in the helicopters, she had fallen into a nearly unconscious sleep.


	13. Among Friends

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_Ok, this is seriously the second to last chapter. You'll probably be pleased to know that I am writing a sequel to this story. I also have a poll on my profile related to that, so please vote! (plus I know that you readers just love clicking buttons). All questions, comments, and concerns can also be sent to me by clicking another button! (how cool is that!).

* * *

**Chapter 13 (Among Friends)**

Coming back into a fully conscious state felt like swimming out of a thick fog. Her eyes fluttered but she still couldn't bring her vision into focus. Julia had no idea where she was, and wasn't alert enough to process any information that would identify her surroundings. Her body felt heavy, yet comfortable, and she slowly rolled onto her back.

It was the sensation of someone grasping her wrist that jolted her into action. In an instant she grabbed a fistful of clothing, yanking the person close, and her other hand clenched in a tight hold on their throat. There was a spluttering, choking sound as the person tried to remove her death-grip. The struggle soon attracted attention and three more people rushed to her bedside to rescue the first one.

"Please let go! You're in a hospital!" a female voice implored.

Her fingers loosened and two people tried to wrestle her arms down. The experience of being both tortured and attacked was still fresh in her mind and Julia fought back. "Get off of me!" she screamed. Kicking wildly she barely missed the woman's face.

A fifth individual entered the room. "Whoa – get the sedatives!" he called, and blocked the doorway.

Julia was fully awake by this point. Though it looked like a hospital room, after what she'd been through she wasn't about to trust anyone that easily. There was a man on either side of her, holding back her arms. She swung her legs up and wrapped them around the taller man's upper body. The move forced him to release her arm, which gave her the leverage needed to deliver a strong kick that sent him to the ground.

The other man was still desperately trying to restrain her, using his own weight to halt her thrashing. A swift chopping motion to the side of his head momentarily broke his concentration. Julia then seized the shank from her boot and in one swift movement leapt from the bed, catching his neck in the crook of her left arm. With the shank in her other hand, pressing into the man's side, she was able to hold him in front of her in a standoff position.

The fifth person at the door looked fearful, as did the woman, and the other two people cautiously picked themselves off the ground.

"Alright – I want to know who you are and where I am," Julia ordered, her voice surprisingly level.

The man at the standing in the doorway spoke; "This is an American air force base. This is the base's medical center."

A look at the uniforms confirmed the man's statement. That meant that she was probably holding some a medic hostage, but she knew they would probably try to sedate her the moment she let him go. Julia now remembered being rescued by Colonel Rhodes and a scout team. "The two men I was brought in with – where are they?"

He spoke each word carefully and slowly, like he was talking to a rampaging maniac. "They're here in the center. I'm a doctor. Please relax, we're only trying to help."

There were now armed guards standing behind him. Julia wasn't relaxing. The woman piped up, "Is your name Julia?"

The question surprised her. "Yes…"

"Mr. Stark keeps asking for you in his sleep."

"Really?" He had always asked for Pepper or his mother when he was first gravely injured.

"How did you end up with him and the other man?"

"When Stark's convoy was attacked I was captured as well."

"You were in that convoy?" the doctor gawked. "That means you're military!" There was a collective murmur from the people in the room. "You came in without identification, we didn't know…"

"Airman First Class," she said, the pride evident in her voice. "Now, can you all stand down?"

The tense atmosphere quickly decompressed and Julia released the man she'd been using as an impromptu shield. Her body was still too weak for any sustained action though; her legs began to buckle beneath her. The medics rushed forward to catch her before she hit the floor.

"Get some rest," the woman told her after she was settled in bed again. "When you wake up, just remember that you're among friends."

* * *

Female medics had been assigned to care for Julia, since she couldn't handle having men around her at the present. After the doctors finally allowed Julia to get out of bed, the first and only thing that she wanted to do was see her other two ex-captives. Her nurse informed her that a visit to Yinsen would have to wait, since he still was in recovery from an operation to remove shrapnel from his leg. Tony Stark was still mostly confined to a bed, but he had also been demanding to see her and Yinsen.

A nurse escorted her to Stark's room. It was the first time that she would see him since their rescue, and Julia felt a little anxious for some reason. He was sitting in a chair beside his bed when she entered the room. Tony was in a pretty rough condition; there was medical tape across the cuts on his face, and his arm was in a proper sling. Still his face lit up when he saw her.

Julia sat in a chair across from him and they waited until the nurse left before they started speaking. "Are we being recorded at all?" she whispered.

"No, Rhodey assured me that we aren't under surveillance, just under guard."

"I'm surprised they let us talk before being debriefed."

"Yeah, well I can be pretty demanding," he said with a half-smile. "They're pretty much waiting on me though, and they hardly let me get out of bed. I told them that I wasn't taking any bedside visitors, which is the only reason they set up this little office space."

It felt awkward just sitting there looking at each other in the silence of the room. Though it was the first time in months that a camera wasn't recording them, she still felt like they were being watched.

"Hey, could you pull your chair in closer? Like really close… closer… right there." Their knees were already touching, but he beckoned her further still until she was on the edge of her seat. "Sorry, it's just that it's too painful to lean forward." With his left hand he lightly held her chin between his thumb and forefinger, and turned her head to the side. He was looking at the cut on her face, the one from Raza's ring.

"The doctor said that there might be a visible scar for a time, but it's likely to fade if I put ointment or something on it," Julia told him.

"I can't get those images of them drowning you out of my mind. When they showed us the footage…" his voice choked with emotion. "It's because of me that they put you through that. Are you alright? I never asked when we were getting out."

"There wasn't any time to chat earlier. It's ok though – it's over."

"It's not ok. Don't think that I didn't see all of those other cuts and bruises all over your hands and arms and shoulders. You're completely beaten up."

Tony knew her so well by this point that there was no chance of hiding things from him. Julia didn't want to talk about it; she was barely able to put her experiences into words yet. "I was attacked… I was alone in the cell and the guard came in… I fought him.

She watched his face cloud over as it mentally sunk in. "I'm so sorry," he said after a moment.

There was a tap on the door before it opened and a medical officer stuck his head in the room. "Mr. Stark, I have to do your check-ups now." Every few hours someone came in to monitor his vitals.

"I'll see you in five minutes then," Tony responded.

The medic looked as though he wanted to say something else, yet closed the door again.

He lowered he voice to a murmur, "Listen, we might not get another chance alone together for a while; I have to ask you something. The details of how we escaped need to remain a secret."

Julia was surprised but allowed him to explain first before talking.

"That technology has a lot of potential for both good and bad. I don't want it to get in the wrong hands because I now realize how devastating that could be. So in order to keep the stories congruent – we rigged the door with explosives from the parts we had, then escaped using the weapons available. The fire got started because of gunfire and we stole a truck."

"I understand. Have you been able to talk to Yinsen yet?"

"No. Try to pass the message along when you see him and I'll do the same." There was another tap at the door. "We should break up this pow-wow before they get suspicious.

She stood to leave, then grasped his hand tightly. "Take care."

"You too."

* * *

The doctor soon felt that she was well enough to be debriefed and early the next day she was ushered into a secure room with two serious looking officers. The entire process took a long time – Julia hadn't ever been through an official debriefing before and didn't realize how thorough they were. Despite the fact that it was a standard procedure, she found it difficult relating her experiences, especially when she had barely had a chance to privately contemplate everything that had happened. When she was finally released, she was very fatigued; it would probably be just as trying on Tony and Yinsen when they were also debriefed.

Julia still didn't have the energy to function fully and it would likely take a while to get herself back to normal – whatever normal was anymore. Lying on the bed, she was lost in thoughts; her mind kept going over the past months. The first few weeks were one of the things interviewers were particularly interested in, and talking about them brought back so many memories that she hadn't reflected on in a long time.

She could remember the pain, the darkness, the bright lights. It was the sight of Tony's blood that disturbed her the most, as he lay on the operating table. His chilling screams echoing in her ears and down into the depths of the cave. Julia felt nauseous and pulled the blanket up around her as she shook from a cold sweat. Turning over, she struggled to push the memories out of her mind.

It was some time later when Julia opened her eyes; she didn't even remember falling asleep. Shifting her position, she soon realized that she wasn't alone in the room. Dozing peacefully in a wheelchair beside her bed was Tony Stark. It had been a while since she had seen him in a restful state. Sometimes in the cave at night she would go over and sit near him as he slept. Just watching the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest was enough to put her at ease.

He stirred and woke up, his brown eyes quickly finding hers gazing back. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright. You?"

"Tired… I just finished getting debriefed from these hard-core government types. Those guys don't smile."

She could tell that he was trying to be casual about it, but it was obvious that it had been just as stressful for him. "Did it go ok?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"What about Yinsen? Have they talked to him yet?"

"I was able to talk to him a couple hours ago, but since then, I'm not sure. He's doing really well; they've got him in intensive care. He said to say hi."

"I'm hoping that they'll let me see him soon." The doctor had been almost like a father to them both.

Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes entered the room without much fanfare; he always looked so serious that it was difficult to read his emotions. "Here you are, Tony, the doctor was looking for you; you should be in bed."

"I've never stayed in bed so much in my life. Let the doctor keep looking."

"Well I've got to speak with Airman Ramirez, so you might as well head back there now."

Julia spoke up, "I was just debriefed, I don't think that I can handle anymore questions."

"I understand. It's about shipping back to the States."

"And I can't stay for that?" Tony asked.

"Fine," Rhodes replied. "Ramirez, it has been arranged that you will fly back tomorrow with Tony. Originally it was planned that you would go later, but after some discussion, that has been changed. Thus, I am just here to inform you that you will be leaving this base tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir." She glanced at Tony, who had undoubtedly been the reason that she was getting out of Afghanistan earlier.

Rhodes turned his attention back to his friend. "Now are you going to get back to your room or do I have to drag you there?"

"Well you don't seem to be in a rush – why don't you push this wheelchair? It only works when you have two good arms."

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?" Rhodes commented as they left.

Julia smiled a bit at Tony's teasing, though she found the colonel's assessment inaccurate. He may have sounded like the man who arrived on his private jet, suave and cocky, but Tony Stark was anything but unchanged.

The time finally came to leave the Bagram Air Base. All that time in the cave Julia had dr

* * *

eamed about getting back home, and now that they were about to finally return home she felt strangely melancholy. Bagram had been her home for months prior to her capture, and she had grown attached to the place. Even though she hadn't set foot outside of the hospital, she knew everything about the veritable town beyond the ward.

Although she would be travelling with Tony, there was something else troubling her – Yinsen would be staying behind. Not only would he need a couple more days to recover, he would have to report to his own government. It would likely be a while before he would be able to travel to the States. Julia hadn't even seen him since the rescue, so her visit would be both a greeting and a farewell.

Yinsen was comfortably reclining on his bed with his injured leg carefully elevated. "Ramirez! You've finally come to see your doctor," he said happily as she entered the room.

Julia grinned and took a seat beside him. "Hey, how are you doing? Are they taking good care of you?"

"I'm doing quite well. Everything seems to be healing nicely; I'm looking forward to walking around again."

"Sounds like you don't even need a doctor. I hope that you're not giving them a hard time."

He chuckled softly. "And you, how are you?"

"I'm alright."

"I hear you and Stark are going back to America today."

"Yeah…" she sounded less enthused than she should have.

He could already guess at her feelings. "Don't worry about me, ok? We'll talk again. Make sure that Tony sends my contact information to you. Of course, it might take a while for me to get settled."

Julia noticed the momentary sadness in his eyes; Yinsen had lost his family and had not expected to survive his kidnapping. He would be starting his life anew. "Well, I wish you all the best." She extended a hand to shake his. "Thank you for keeping me alive," she whispered, nearly overcome with emotion.

"Thank you for keeping _me_ alive. Take care, Julia." Yinsen smiled and gently embraced her.

Outside the room there was someone waiting to escort her to the tarmac. She felt disconnected, like she was in a dream. A buggy drove her through the busy air base and stopped at a jet designated for VIP transport. Julia took a last look at her surroundings before boarding.

The inside was arranged in the style of a luxury business jet, optimized for the occupant's comfort. Aside from Colonel Rhodes and Tony, there was no one else on the plane. Despite that fact, Tony waved her over to the seat right next to him. Although he was used to traveling this way, he appeared uneasy.

"It's fortunate that there was one of these planes to use; the flight will be much faster. We should be taking off in about fifteen minutes," Rhodes told them. "I'm going to check with the crew, I'll be back soon."

"We'll be good," his friend called out after him. "You got to see Yinsen?" Tony asked quietly after Rhodes went into the cockpit. She nodded and he continued talking. "Good. I wanted him to come back with us, but there are so many procedures that have to be followed…" He sighed and gave her a look over. "I ordered some clothing for you; I've never seen you in a skirt, so I got you one."

"What? A skirt? I never wear skirts."

"It'll be nice, just trust me. I was able to talk with Pepper earlier and she'll have it all arranged."

"How is she?" Julia asked.

"Practically beside herself; she was trying not to cry as we talked. Rhodey called her right after he found us, so she's been going crazy trying to get things organized. You'll meet her soon. Hey, you alright?"

She noticed that he was giving her a hard look. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… overwhelmed I guess." Julia leaned over and went to rest her head on Tony's shoulder, but stopped when he made a sound indicating pain. "Oh I'm sorry – your shoulder's still sore."

"They put so much bandaging over these cuts that I feel like a linebacker," he quipped. Tony slouched in the seat and put his head against her shoulder. "That's better. Now don't move for five hours."

Julia smiled, closed her eyes, and soon felt the plane ascending into the sky.


	14. Homecoming

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_This is it! I can't believe this story is finished. But weep not, there shall be a sequel! If you feel so inclined, I even have a nifty poll related to that, which you can check out on my profile. So, if you want to be auto-informed of the new story, I recommend clicking an "Author Alert" thing soon. Thank you for all your lovely reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 14 (Homecoming)**

After hours of travelling, including a fueling stop in Milan, Italy and a flight over the Atlantic Ocean, the jet landed at the Bradley International Airport in Connecticut in the early afternoon. Julia was so jet lagged by this point, that she really didn't care what time it was; all she wanted to do was get out of the plane and stretch her legs. She and Tony Stark would be stepping onto home soil for the first time in months.

She glanced back at the man before exiting the aircraft – Rhodes was lending a supporting arm to his weakened friend. The doctors had urged him not to expend himself immediately, since it would take a while to recover from the physical ordeal that he'd been through. As it was, he already had his arm in a sling, and she knew his body was sore all over. There was also a wheelchair waiting on the tarmac to spare him from any unnecessary walking.

Before flying back to California, Tony had to have a brief meeting with some security officials, and after switching planes they would head for home. Until then, Julia would have to wait in a private departure area. An attendant escorted her, Tony, and Rhodes to two staterooms to freshen up. Prior to leaving Afghanistan Stark had asked Pepper, his personal assistant, to have a change of clothing ready and waiting for both of them.

"Want me to wait outside for you?" Rhodes asked.

"No, wait inside – I'll just be a minute," Tony replied while edging into Julia's room. "And make sure that Pepper sent me some shoes."

The stateroom was like a little hotel suite, complete with a bathroom and a mini-bar. It was the kind of perk that persons of importance probably expected to have while waiting for a flight. A single garment bag and a shoebox waited in the closet.

"Tony, you really didn't have to get me any clothing," Julia said. She felt uncomfortable getting dressed up like that; she was used to being in uniform or regular civilian clothes as she had the past few months.

"Well, if Pepper had to go through the trouble of raiding my closet to send me some stuff, then it wasn't a stretch to get some things for you also." Suddenly Tony looked uneasy.

Julia noticed the change in his expression. "What is it? Do you feel ok?"

"Yeah, let's just sit a moment." He sat on the bed and she took a chair opposite him.

She wasn't sure whether to stay with him or get Rhodes from the next room.

"When we were in that convoy… and it got hit… you got out of the vehicle first, right?" Tony spoke hesitantly, awkwardly.

"Yes…" she replied slowly, not sure where he was going with this thought.

"But, then Pratt got out of the Humvee and he was covered by the front of the vehicle, the engine. There was this blast that cracked the windshield and I thought for sure he was… but as it happens…" Tony looked up at her and his eyes were smiling.

She felt almost dizzy from the sudden rush of blood, her mouth went dry, and her heartbeat had accelerated to a pace that seemed almost audible. Julia didn't need for him to finish the sentence – she already knew. Only this time she didn't feel foolish for bursting into tears.

Tony was embracing her with his one good arm. She barely even heard him speaking; "Pratt's alive, he just got injured during the attack. It's ok… Let me grab that box of Kleenex…"

He sat there smiling as she wiped her face. "When did you find out?" she asked.

"When we were still in the hospital. Rhodey made sure that no one broke the news early. I wanted to tell you in private. And I wanted to make sure you could see him right away."

"He's here? Pratt's here right now?" He nodded and she was completely stunned. "I… I just don't even have the words."

"You don't need them." With some effort Tony stood and kissed her on the forehead. "Now I'm going to let you change, and I'll do the same."

Julia took his arm and escorted him to the door. "I look awful though – my face is probably all red."

"I promise you, he's not even going to notice."

Closing the door behind him, she stood there in silence, her mind reeling. It was just too much to take in all at once. Julia went to the closet to see what kind of clothing that Tony had gotten for her; she was pleasantly surprised. The outfit was modest yet showed a good sense of style. The fitted, navy blue skirt and the white, scoop-neck t-shirt felt as though they had been tailor-made for her. Low heels and a matching cropped jacket completed the look. Julia stared at her reflection in the mirror, hardly recognizing herself. She tied back half of her hair, keeping the rest down, and brushed her bangs to the side. Her battle uniform made her appear tough, and her service uniform was quite formal, but now she looked the best version of herself.

"Wow," Tony breathed. "You look beautiful."

She flushed a little from the attention. "Thank you. This is really perfect – I couldn't have chosen anything like this."

"You're quite welcome." He had changed into a dark-coloured suit, though wore it casually.

Rhodes gave her a small smile of approval as he came forward with a wheelchair for Stark. "You've got to get off your feet, Tony."

"I am not meeting anyone sitting down."

"They'll understand."

"Just wheel me to the door. People are going to think that I'm vying for their sympathy. There are so many others who are legitimately injured." He glanced over at Julia. "You're ready?"

She nodded and followed the two men leading the procession. It wasn't a long walk – just down a couple hallways and then they were standing outside of a lounge area.

"Ok, let's park this ride here," Tony announced. Rhodes took his arm for support and Julia stood on his other side.

Seated at the far end of the room near a window was a man with a fair complexion. Even from a distance one could see his body tense as the three persons walked forward. Already he was also approaching, slowly at first, his eyes locked on Julia.

It was like a dream – she could hardly believe that she was actually seeing him. Julia felt like she was walking just above the floor, floating. All at once Pratt had rushed up to her and was crushing her into an embrace so tight that she couldn't even draw breath. But when she finally did inhale it was his scent that filled her lungs. She leaned back to look into his face and realized that tears were streaming down his cheeks. Julia pulled him close and kissed him deeply. This was tangible, this was real.

She had forgotten that they were not completely alone. Julia glanced back to find Tony looking on solemnly, though with a hint of a smile. Pratt hastily tried to dry his face, as did she, before speaking to him.

"Good to see you, Pratt," Tony greeted him.

"Same to you, Mr. Stark. Thank you for bringing Julia home."

"You're very welcome, but I wouldn't have made it home either if it weren't for her." He smiled at her. "Well, I've got to be at another boring debriefing somewhere around here, so I'll be back in a little while. I hope you two can keep yourselves occupied until then."

He and Rhodes left and the pair were completely alone in the lounge. It was surprisingly awkward, neither of them knowing what to say.

Pratt broke the ice; "I've got some food over here… are you hungry?"

"Yes, and I could really use a glass of water."

"I've got drinks too."

At Pratt's seating area a light lunch had been set up for the two of them, most likely courtesy of Tony Stark.

"Sorry if I'm a little quiet – I think I'm still in shock. Tony just told me about you half and hour ago," Julia explained.

"I got the call yesterday and I'm still bowled over. I always hoped … I was really… I took the whole thing really hard." He stopped and gave her an anxious look. "If you don't want to talk about it yet, that's ok. When I was first in counseling it took a long time to be able to talk about what happened."

"Yeah, I think I need some time. I haven't been able to think about it all. I just want to hear about you."

"From the beginning?" She nodded and he started relating his experiences. "Well, when our convoy was attacked, I had just gotten my rifle set up on the hood of the Humvee when this shell came flying out of nowhere. That's actually the last thing I remember – the impact knocked me unconscious. When the encounter ended, the soldiers who found me said that they thought I was dead, by the way I was lying on the ground. I had a concussion and my left arm was broken in three places. I'm really fortunate to even have it; I'm still doing physiotherapy though."

Pratt removed his sports coat and extended his arm for Julia to assess the damage. The scars were enough to make her gasp softly. For the first time, she noticed the marks across the left side of his face, and lightly ran her fingertips across them.

"Yeah, I needed a few stitches, but I didn't lose my eye – it looked a lot worse than it was. So, after I was approved to travel they got me back home and I've been here ever since. I'm still in Indiana; just been spending a lot of time recuperating, and trying to stay busy, and trying not to think about what happened. But you, you look amazing!"

"This is all Tony's doing," Julia said, indicating the clothing. "I would've been fine wearing the spare clothes we had earlier. I've got my own scars though." He'd probably already noticed the one on her own face; she slipped off her jacket to reveal the cuts and bruises trailing up both her arms, including the spot where the bullet had passed through her arm. Then she pulled the neckline of her t-shirt down a bit to show him the scar from the bullet in her shoulder.

"Wow… I remember you going down the moment you stepped out of the Humvee. You've healed really well."

"There was a doctor with us – he's the reason Tony and I survived." A moment of silence passed before she spoke again. "Let's talk about something else."

* * *

It was forty-five minutes later when Stark returned, having finished his meeting with the government agents. During that time Julia and Pratt had been able to reminisce about good times in the past, and things that were happening now. They didn't discuss the future – that was too uncertain at the moment – but Julia promised to contact him as soon as she got had gotten settled. After the goodbyes were said, she, Tony and Rhodes boarded a C-17 for their last flight home to California.

"Pratt's a nice guy," Tony remarked.

"Yes, he is." She looked over at him. "Thank you for arranging that visit."

"You're welcome; anything for you."

When the plane made its final approach to the Stark Industries Aviation Division, Julia noticed that Tony seemed about as nervous as she had ever seen him. He wasn't talking much, something that Rhodes also was aware of.

"So you know what to expect, I've made sure that this is going to be a private homecoming," the colonel explained. "No press, no cameras; just the airport personnel, Pepper, and Happy."

"And Julia's folks will be there?"

"Yes, they will be waiting inside. I'm sorry that I couldn't get them on the tarmac but they will be close by."

The plane landed and as the engines were powering down everyone inside got ready to exit. Rhodes rolled Stark's wheelchair to the back of the cavernous aircraft and the three of them waited for the ramp to lower. Just before it did, Julia and Tony exchanged one last smile before re-entering the world.

Beyond the fuselage a couple airport vehicles, an ambulance, and a Rolls Royce Phantom awaited their arrival. People were standing by, almost anxiously, the foremost being a well-dressed woman. With effort, Tony Stark stood from his wheelchair and started down the ramp with Rhodey's support. A stretcher was brought forward, yet even walking behind him Julia could hear the incredulous tone in his voice as he dismissed it. She stayed at a distance as he approached his personal assistant. The woman looked both relieved and overjoyed to see him, but somehow managed to maintain her composure.

After a brief exchange Tony turned and signaled Julia to come over. "Pepper, I would like to introduce to you Julia Ramirez. Julia, this is Virginia Potts."

"I'm pleased to meet you," Pepper smiled as they shook hands.

"Likewise; Mr. Stark has always spoken highly of you."

Pepper appeared surprised at the comment, and threw an amused glance at her boss before discreetly stepping back by the car. It seemed that she instinctively knew that he would want a private farewell.

"So, I'll get you some phone numbers and stuff like that so we can stay in touch, and as soon as I hear from Yinsen I'll pass his information along as well.

"Thanks."

"Don't disappear on me though. No matter what you might hear about me, because a lot of it is bad. Promise?"

She chuckled softly, "Yes, I promise."

"Alright, before one of us gets emotional – take care, Julia." Tony leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

"Take care, Tony," she whispered back. Julia took hold of his hand, just for a moment, then released it so he could walk away.

She watched him greet his chauffeur, "Happy" Hogan, and slide into the posh vehicle. Before it could drive off, Rhodes came to escort her to where she would greet her family; he even put her arm in the crook of his like a real gentleman. He might have been saying something as they walked, but Julia was conscious of it – she was overcome with just being home, and safe with the ordeal over, and having watched Tony leave her side for the first time. However, there was a bright light at the end of the tarmac; as soon as she walked through that door she would be starting her life again. And after three months of being a captive, Julia was ready.


	15. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:**I do not own anything pertaining to _Marvel Comics_ or _Iron Man_, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

_**Author's Note: **_Ha-ha! I get a final say… and I really don't actually have much to add. Allow me to reassure you once more that I'm working on the sequel.

* * *

**Epilogue **

The parcel was small and plain; a thin, rectangular box with a hand-written address. The sole outstanding feature was actually whom it was addressed to – Mr. A. E. Stark. Tony never got any personal mail of this sort; it was usually expensive gifts or things that he had ordered. Pepper inspected the sender's address and recognized the name, a J. C. Ramirez.

She descended the stairs to Tony's workshop, and could already see him hard at work on the other side of the glass. As usual, there was music blaring, and she had to turn the volume down to get his attention.

"If you're wondering if I'm hungry, the answer's yes," he called out.

"Actually, I wasn't wondering," she replied. "Some mail just came for you."

"Mail?" he briefly looked up from what he was doing. "Really? Who from? I don't know anyone who likes me enough to go through the trouble of sending me mail."

"That's a completely unfounded statement, Tony. It's from Ms. Ramirez."

"Julia?" In an instant he had leapt over a piece of equipment and halted beside his assistant.

"Wow, I haven't seen you move that quickly since that conference in Tokyo when someone declared that the bar had opened."

"That was an exceptional circumstance," he replied as he opened the package.

The item inside was covered in bubble wrap, indicating that it was fragile to a degree. After removing the protective layer Tony sat down on a nearby stool and stared at what he'd received.

It was a framed photo of Tony and Jimmy, the fallen soldier from the air force convoy. The young man was smiling brightly with two fingers held up in the peace sign. There was also a small card enclosed with the photo, which he quickly opened next and read.

_Dear Tony, Somehow Jimmy's camera survived everything, and the picture had actually been taken. In our unit everyone referred to Jimmy as the son of Pratt and me. It was fitting because he was a little younger and he really looked up to us. He was always a positive, exuberant person. I'm going to miss him a lot. Pratt and I wanted you to have a copy of this picture because we were all happy and laughing in that moment. Yours truly, Julia_

"Tony are you alright?" Pepper asked worriedly. "You look a little pale!"

He cleared his throat. "I'm fine." Tony glanced back at the name on the bottom of the card. "Pepper, I need to make a call…"


End file.
